


Connections

by DeadManWalked



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Aftermath, Angst, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts, Lesbian Character, Possible smut, Post Battle, Post War, Same universe as my other HP book, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-07-12 16:49:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19949593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadManWalked/pseuds/DeadManWalked
Summary: Ziva Pond wasn't normal nor would she ever be normal. She noticed things nobody else would and heard things nobody else could. Her magic preferred the touch of dirt and grass over the waving of wands and spells.Ziva Pond wasn't perfect nor would she ever be. She struggled with academia, couldn't tell a lie, and loved the wrong lovers. She found peace in the connections to plants and bugs over the touch of her fellow classmates.Ziva Pond was neither normal or perfect or perfectly normal. She was extraordinarily different, even if she didn't mean to be.





	1. The Beginning

The wizarding world, much like the muggle world, has a set of societal expectations. Stray too far away for what is _normal_ and one can find themselves trapped in isolation. Unfortunately for Ziva Pond she was born in that area. For starters, seconds after her first wailing cry she transfigured into a baby elephant. An occurrence that had never happened before and took over an hour for the nurses to fix.

Her parents defended such an odd occurrence, even for a magical child, by claiming she was _gifted_. In a way she was, and for a while that excuse was praised. However, Ziva's life grew more odd from there. How? Well, she never showcased magical abilities again until she turned eleven.

More than just her magic, Ziva was flawed in the social and mental departments as well. She despised being touched, had a tendency to break down if things went slightly wrong, and most of all she heard voices nobody else could hear. At least, that's what her parent believed since their child was always talking to things that couldn't speak.

She was never the brightest kid, at least not in the case of what normal intelligence is measured. She couldn't do simple math, read above a eight year old level, or pay attention to any given task for more than a minute at a time. She failed all her classes and only went up grades out of pity (so her mom whispered late at night when she was supposed to be asleep).

However, she could tell you all about how upset grass felt about being stepped on or how different animals have different languages. How Mrs. Weasley next door had a grey owl named Errol with a thick Irish accent (more than her own but less than her Pa's). About the stray cat that lounges around the burrow looking for foods daily finds and how it felt happy to be alone. How a sheep doesn't baaa all the time because that's just the noise they make when they burp.

Her parents made her keep quiet about all this, claiming to their friends that she had an 'overactive imagination'. Maybe she did, but that doesn't change the fact that it was all true. However, true or not that doesn't change the fact that she was quickly segregated from the other children in her world.

Once, in a desperate attempt to make their daughter fit in more, Ziva was sent to make friends with her neighbors. She didn't mind much, the Weasleys were good people and she quite liked seeing the twins play pranks on the others. However, the twins were two years older than little 8 year old Ziva so when she arrived Mrs. Weasley ( _Please, call me Molly_ ) showed her to Ron and Ginny.

It didn't take quite long for them to dislike her, although Ginny gave her more of a chance than Ron ever would've. At his age nothing seemed more horrific than hanging out with a weirdo, especially if it was a girl. Ginny and her talked a bit, but when Ginny realized that Ziva wasn't quite into Quidditch or pranking or playing dress up the attempt died quickly. After that first visit, she never went over nor was invited over ever again.

Once when she was about to turn eleven she heard her mother crying downstairs. Ziva made her way to attempt to offer comfort but stopped when she heard her father consoling her in a way. Her mother was crying about how heartbroken she was that their daughter wasn't normal. Her father responded with, _"Maybe if we try to have another, they'll be better. Ziva... She's not ever going to be normal. We need to accept that she'll always be disappointing. She's a squib, after all. Now hush darling, we have a long day tomorrow with her party."_

There was no party, there never was a party. Try as they might the Ponds couldn't get anyone to show, no matter the amount of invitations. Molly stopped by with a present, apologizing for not being able to make it since the boys were sick. However, the boys seemed to coincidentally get sick on her birthday every year.

Ziva wasn't bothered by the lack of birthday friends or friends at all. She didn't mind her invitations being turned down because it wasn't her inviting them, it was her parents. Her parents were the ones who tried and tried every year. If anything, Ziva enjoyed the lack of company because it gave her more time to talk to the ants in the front yard or whisper to the trees about the weather. At least they never tried to hug her or get her to do things that made her rattle with anxiety.

However, her parents started arguing that day. The stress of how different their only child was seemed to boil over in the back yard and there was no stopping it. She was laying flat on her stomach watching a snail while they argued over her. However, the stress began reaching her and she found herself curled in a fetal position, rocking gently. Their voices seemed to get louder and louder until suddenly, " _Enough_!" 

For the first time in exactly eleven years, she presented her magic. It pushed the two of them apart, flying in opposite directions. She took deep breaths until she calmed down, then laid flat again and whispered her apologies to the snail.

She got her letter to Hogwarts that night.


	2. School Years

Her offer to Hogwarts was a surprise to many, since they too thought Ziva lacked magical ability. Her parents, however, were ecstatic at the fact their daughter would be going to one of the best wizarding schools in the world. " _I knew she was gifted_." They'd exclaim.

Ziva felt indifferent, if not a bit disappointed about it. Hogwarts was a very large School with lots of students and distractions. When her parents returned from Diagon Alley with her supplies (they never let her out on such a public place), her parents began wondering if Hogwarts made a mistake. The books she had to read were far out of her comfort level and the learning criteria was twice as hard as her normal education, which she failed at.

They'd never speak up of course, they couldn't lose the chance for their daughter to go to such a great school. However, the realization that she had to go to Diagon Alley to retrieve her wand and to buy her a pet (which she insisted on) dawned fear onto them.

They made it to Ollivander's without incident, but it ended up taking an hour and destroying half his store to find her soul wand. Her parents apologized more than she'd ever heard before, which was a record. Their trip to the pet market hadn't gone as smooth. It was crowded in Diagon Alley, making it harder for Ziva to concentrate. People kept bumping into her and she'd lash out, which would lead her father to try and grab her. That only made things worse.

In the market Ziva couldn't help but talk with every animal she met, gathering unwanted attention to the Ponds. Especially after her very loud argument with a cat named Crookshanks. Finally, she met a teacup sized white cat (who asked to be called Jedidiah) and decided he was the one for her.

He was Ziva's first friend.

Upon arrival to Hogwarts, after the awe of the Thestrals, she quickly found herself in the seat to be sorted. It didn't take long after that to find herself in Hufflepuff, the under appreciated house. Her parents wouldn't approve (They're previous Slytherins).

Throughout the year, Ziva learned many things. None of what she learned involved her actually learning lessons taught in class. Instead, she learned potions smell very bad, she doesn't like using a wand, and she's not good at any of her classes. She struggled more than any of her classmates, more than anyone in the school. Her inability to focus paired with her overall struggle to understand lead to more study sessions than anything.

She was very good at following very specific directions, so the only class she didn't need tutoring for was Potions. Then again, potions didn't offer tutoring. Soon her teachers picked up on this fact and started to teach her differently than they taught the others. This helped improve her skills just enough to pass the classes, but also further separated her from her classmates.

Well, Herbology was another class she didn't need much tutoring for (she only needed it for proper research and such). She could communicate to the plants so it wasn't hard to accomplish tasks, she was actually good at them, however she often got lost in the conversations over the lessons.

This is how every year at Hogwarts went for Ziva Pond. She'd only ever passed Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures on her own. Every other class she took she barely passed and needed lots of tutoring. Her inability to stay focused wasn't helped much by all of the chaos that occurred yearly at the school. Possessed teachers, false teachers, basilisks, criminals on the run, and so on.

One big change during her school years was that she gained more friends than just Jedidiah. The second she met Luna Lovegood during year two they became instant friends. Guess their shared oddness didn't give them any other choice. Luna was good company, always kept her distance, was good at calming Ziva down, and most importantly taught Ziva about more unique magical animals. Ones that are harder to see and most people don't believe.

She also became friends with a few other people during school, such as Cedric Diggory (before his unfortunate death), Neville Longbottom, the Weasley Twins (who found her weirdness oddly charming), and even Mrs. Norris.

She grew happier and slightly more comfortable to touch. She silently thrived in the positivity her friends gave her. Ziva cried for her losses, laughed with her victories, and danced with her newfound joy in life. Then she fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, helping anyway she could.

Her parents, having been secret Death Eaters, ended up locked away in Azkaban. One of her closest friends Fred died and his brother struggled to recover. So by the end of her school years she was left a teenaged soldier, with only Neville and Luna for comfort. Even her oldest friend Jedidiah had passed in the chaos.

Ziva didn't quite mourn her losses like a normal person would. This time she didn't cry or anything along those lines. She just sat in the middle of a forest, listening to nature's radio, and absorbed the world around her. She could feel the life nature echos ring across her soul and fuel her with the energy of the lost. Her magic buzzed like a bee as she absorbed the world around her.

Nature powered magic stemmed back to old magic and Merlin. It's existence was believed to be extinct until this moment. Without realizing it, Ziva had accessed the true reason why she wasn't a normal witch. Her magic works best not through spells and a wand, but through nature and it's life. Which is why she thrived in subjects containing just that; nature. Nobody, not even herself, realized that she is the last true carrier of old magic. The first since Merlin's death.

What does she do when she opens her eyes?

Decides that she needs to go back and finish her seventh year of school. She doesn't quite know why, perhaps it's because she could practically hear Cedric telling her education is important. Maybe it's because she has no idea what she's going to do with the rest of her life. Maybe it's because she doesn't have a home to go back to anymore. It doesn't matter in the end, because it's the first choice she's made on her own that doesn't make her feel like she's drowning.


	3. First Day Jitters

The train station at Nine and Three-Quarters on September first was the gloomiest the station had ever seen. A sense of dread lingered in the air, even from the first years. Ziva stood right behind the safety line waiting for the train to pull to a full stop. The second the train doors opened she grabbed her bags and climbed on, muttering a nonchalant greeting to the conductor.

She traveled to the furthest cart and neatly set down her bags, then herself. She sat there for exactly twenty-seven minutes before her door slid open and Luna joined her, with Neville close behind.

"Hello Ziva. How's your summer been?" Neville asked, clumsily settling down.

He'd grown far more comfortable and confident over the previous year, but he was still Neville. Still awkward and clumsy but kind.

"A bit hotter than usual, it really bothers the snails in my backyard. Weathers been a bit odd lately," She responded, still looking out the window.

"Um, yes that's quite true I suppose. Felt like I was melting at my grandmums the other day," Neville responded. "How about you, Luna? Have a good summer?"

"Oh, very well. We moved over the summer to a place with a lot more Blubbering Humdingers and even Crumple-Horned Snorkacks! In terms of the weather, I found it quite pleasant." She said in her usual soft sing song voice.

She settled into the carriage with the newest edition of the Quibbler while tucking her wand behind her ear as it usually was. Soon her and Neville were immersed in a conversation about Humdingers and Buzzingers and Lobstingers. It was then that the carriage door opened to reveal Hermione Granger, with her curly hair in all its crazy glory.

"Oh, hello. Do you mind if I join you guys?" Hermione said, her cheeks growing a dark shade of pink. "Ron and Harry are training to be Aurors instead of coming back so I don't really have anyone else to sit with."

"Yeah, of course you could Hermione." Neville said while Luna moved next to Ziva so Hermione could sit next to him. "You know Luna."

"It's nice to see you again," Hermione greeted as she sat down and soon the train began moving. "You look well, both of you do. I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Ziva looked at Hermione for a moment. Her hair was wild, her cheeks still held a soft blush, and her robes were very put together. She looked every bit as smart as the stories said, but then again Ziva already knew that.

"Hello," was all she responded with before looking back out the window.

"Hermione, meet Ziva Pond. She’s a Hufflepuff in our year." Neville said, trying to keep things polite since Ziva was hard to become friends with.

Hermione let out a soft huff but gave a forced smile. "I'm glad they managed to rebuild Hogwarts again so quickly, I can't wait to see all the Professors again. I think Professor McGonagall will make an excellent Headmaster. I look forward to all the classes this year, though I do worry about how the scheduling will work with so little seventh years returning. What brings you all back?"

_She talks too much_ , Ziva found herself thinking. _Seems nice, but I just want some silence._

"Well, I promised Professor Sprout I'd come back and finish so I could learn more before pursuing Herbology. I could've been done but I spent more time protecting the students than actually learning last year." Neville explained.

"I'm going back to finish as well, but also to enjoy more time learning in Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. Want as much knowledge I can gather going into my Magizoologist career as well." Luna said.

Hermione gleamed, "Exactly! I simply had to come back and learn all I've missed over the last year due to those events. Harry and Ron were glad to never come back, but I couldn't not finish my education."

"What about you, Ziv?" Neville asked, trying to make sure she didn't feel left out of the conversation.

She jumped, as if forgetting they had been there. "I'm not sure, Neville. I just didn't have anything else to do."

Hermione humphed, unimpressed with the response it seemed. However, she knew that she'd have to try to become friends with the girl since her best friends weren't around to keep her company. "Well, is there any subjects your looking forward to going back to?"

For the first time, Ziva looked away from the window to actually pondered her response. "I suppose Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, seeing as Professor Snape is dead and can't teach potions anymore. I don’t much like Slughorn teaching it. It'll be nice to talk with Larry and Freya again."

"Who's Larry and Freya?" Hermione asked, pointedly avoiding the topic of her old Professor and his passing.

"Two Unicorns in the forest."

"Right," Hermione said, more confused than not but decided against questioning her further.

"Who is the new potions teacher is going to be? Or Defense against the Dark Arts?" Luna wondered aloud. "And the new transfiguration teacher. Will Gryffindor get a new Head of House since Professor McGonagall won't be available?"

"Professor Slughorn is remaining as potions teacher, as well as Slytherins Head of House. I heard a rumor Dedalus Diggle was going to be the new DADA teacher. Not sure about the other questions though." Hermione responded.

"Actually, Aberforth Dumbledore will be the DADA teacher," Ziva chimed in. "A Scottish witch named Arabella Witherspoon will be the Transfiguration teacher."

"Oh," said Hermione.

Ziva remained quiet for the rest of the trip, flipping through the Quibbler every once in a while. The ride seemed to speed by because before she knew it their arrival had been announced. 

"We're here," Neville said nervously.

They stepped out into the streets of Hogsmeade and looked at the distant outline of the newly rebuilt castle. It looked the same as before just less worn down. The sun shines bright on fresh green grasses and the lake gleamed. Not an area that reflected a battlefield full of bloodshed only months ago.

"Yes, so we must get going," Ziva states, beginning to walk toward the castle. "We shouldn't be late on the first day, it'd be very rude."

Luna laughed softly and sped up to walk with her best friend, leaving Neville and Hermione behind. Hermione felt glued to her spot, like moving would be impossible. Nervousness and frustration built in her.

"You alright, Hermione?" Neville asked, looking at her softly. "I'm a bit scared too, but I've decided I'm done letting Voldemort take things I care about away from me. Aren't you?"

"I am." Hermione declared, forcing her feet to move. "Hogwarts is and always will be my second home. Nothing to be afraid of, I was being silly."

"I'm glad you're here, Hermione." Neville said as they neared the entrance.

Back in the dining hall Luna and Ziva split up and went to their house tables. Ziva sat down next to the only other Hufflepuffs in her grade: Rolf Scamander and Hannah Abbott. She greeted them with a small wave and waited patiently for the ceremony to begin.


	4. Ceremonies and Changes

Headmaster McGonagall stood at the front podium as the rest of the students gathered into the Great Hall. Behind her at the teachers table sat Professors Sprout, Flitwick, Slughorn, and two newer faces.

Aberforth Dumbledore had shoulder length grey hair with a beard that didn't fall much further. His bright blue eyes had the same mysterious sparkle in them to further show his similarities to his late brother. His mute colored robes and quiet composure showed that his personality wasn't the same, however.

Next to him sat the youngest witch at the table, Arabella Witherspoon. Her hair was a wild set of black curls, her skin pale as ice, and her eyes haunting like a bat. The most noticeable of her appearance was her soured face with her pointed up nose, as if she was surrounded by something foul. Goosebumps ran up Ziva's arms at the uncanny resemblance Witherspoon shared with the late Bellatrix Lestrange.

Headmaster McGonagall started her new year greetings before moving onto the sorting had ritual. Ziva truly tried her best to pay attention to the speeches and ceremonies but her attempt quickly failed as her mind wandered elsewhere. She studied the new wooden tables, shining tiled floors, and the newly built walls of Hogwarts. She felt her stomach sink further when she looked at a particular wall across the room that had always bore a large dent from Weasley Twin shenanigans during her first year. The dent was gone, as if it never existed.

It dawned on her then that this newly tiled room was where the bodies were brought. Where her old Professor Lupin laid dead and not far from him was her friend Fred. She closed her eyes as she remembered seeing his still body surrounded by his loved ones, only to open them again when she realized he laid no more than half a meter from where she sat.

Her disturbed thoughts were interrupted by a sudden buffet of foods littering the Hufflepuff table. With her appetite vanished, she simply settled for a glass of Pumpkin Juice.

"I can't believe it!" Hannah exclaimed, "I knew changes were going to be made but this is more than that. These things have _never_ occurred in Hogwarts history."

"What are you on about?" Ziva asked, realizing her wandering thoughts had yet again led her to missing important information.

"Weren't you paying attention?" Scamander asked, only to remember who he was talking to. "Never mind, the point is Headmaster McGonagall said that due to the low amount of returning seventh years, all the boys and girls in our grade will be sharing a common room. Regardless of House. All boys in the same dorms and vice versa."

"Seems quite smart," Ziva said, though grew nervous at the thought. "Otherwise Hannah and I would have a room all to ourselves. Could be lonely, besides I always wanted to have a sleep over with Luna."

"Right, but they're using our common rooms," Hannah grumbled slightly. "I suppose you're right though. I wouldn't mind getting some help from the brightest witch in our grade on late study nights."

"Hestia's back?" Ziva asked.

"Who?" Hannah responded but never got a response since Hermione, Luna, and Neville all sat next to them.

"I was hoping they'd do something like this. It would've been a load of clobbers to be alone in the dormitory for the whole year," Neville exclaimed as he began piling food onto his plate.

"I'm sure it'll be quite interesting, I've never been able to see the Hufflepuff common room before. It's a shame most of my fellow Ravenclaws decided to finish out at other British Wizarding Schools." Luna chimes in as she began eating.

"You alright, Hermione?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, quite alright. I'm afraid I'm more tired than hungry is all." The witch responded.

The group knew that wasn't true since Hermione had grown sickly looking. Her skin had paled dramatically and left her wild hair sticking to her sweaty face. Her hands shook slightly as they reached for a drink.

"They're creepy aren't they," Neville whispered as he pointed to the newest professors. "Like a couple doppelgängers or something."

"Hopefully Professor Witherspoon isn't nearly as bonkers as Lestrange had been. She looks nearly as snobby as Umbridge had though, so to be honest I'm not sure which I'd prefer." Scamander snickered.

"True, but on the bright side Hagrid is still teaching Care of Magical Creatures. I even heard that most of our lessons will be taking place in the Forbidden Forest," Luna chipped in, slightly desperate to change the subject. The name Lestrange brought uncomfortable shivers across her body.

"What a silly name," Ziva said.

"Why's that, Ziv?" Neville asked curiously.

"Well," She started, "It's called the Forbidden Forest but it's not _really_ forbidden, is it? Lessons are held there, detentions are too sometimes, and students sneak in all the time. I mean, the Wonder Trio went into the forest so often we might as well begin calling it 'The Friendly Forrest'. Besides, it's been snogging headquarters for years."

"What would you know about snogging?" Hannah teased.

"You'd be surprised," Ziva mumbled. "I hope that rumor is true though. I've missed Firenze and all the other Centaurus. They're full of interesting stories and knowledge."

"That's one word for it," Hermione said. "I'm honestly exhausted, would one of you mind showing me the fastest route to the common room and give me the code?"

"Code?" Hannah asked. "We don't have one of those."

"Really? Why not?"

"Everyone's welcome into Hufflepuff. Probably why Headmaster McGonagall chose it this year. So long as your pure of intention and kind of heart you can enter." Rolf explained, still eating like a madman.

"Ziva will take you there, won't you?" Neville suggested.

Ziva looked up from counting the tiles, eyes wide with anxiety. She tucked her wavy hair behind her hair and continued to stare at Neville. The Gryffindor looked from her to Hermione back to her, looking rather weird. Ziva knew he was trying to tell her something, but she hadn't an idea what that was.

"Right," Ziva said as she stood abruptly, almost knocking over her cup. She watched as Hermione awkwardly stood up as well, then nodded and walked off.

She heard as Hermione scrambled to catch up and then they both silently walked down the halls together. The halls that looked the same but weren't. The little chips and cracks that showed how worn and loved Hogwarts had been were gone. Ziva could feel the awkwardness lingering in the air, but couldn't figure out how to fix that.

Hermione spoke first, "I haven't seen you around before. How long have you been friends with Neville and Luna?"

"Year 2." Ziva said quietly.

Hermione nodded and the silence came back again. Ziva began nervously scratching her wrist, trying to sooth her skin that itched uncomfortably. She abruptly stopped at a painting, but not the one that belonged there. What use to be a large painting in a grassy field with a women riding a white horse was now a large painting of a small cottage in winter woods.

"That's wrong," Ziva whispered to herself. "What happened to the other? Perhaps it was destroyed during the fight. Yes, that must be it."

"Is this the entrance to the common room?" Hermione asked, interrupting Ziva's thoughts.

"No, of course not." Ziva laughed, "That's closer to the kitchen. This is a shortcut to get there faster. The painting's been replaced."

"Oh, right. What was here before?"

"Doesn't matter, it's gone. Destroyed more than likely. Come along," Ziva rambled before pulling on the frame and revealing a staircase. 

Together they walked up the winding staircase until they pushed open another painting (the wrong one, again) and stepped out into a hallway.

"Isn't the Hufflepuff quarter in the basement? Why'd we walk upstairs?" Hermione asked, staring at the painting in confusion.

"We didn't walk upstairs. We walked downstairs." Ziva explained as she continued to the entrance to the kitchen corridor.

"No, we definitely walked up that staircase." Hermione argued.

"Didn't you notice we were upside down? So yes, technically we were walking upward but we were going downstairs." Ziva shrugged, waving to the kitchen elves.

They stopped in front of a pile of barrels.

"Technically, in the first 3 years students have to tap this barrel to the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' in order to enter. It's a joke really, so if the first years mess up they get sprayed with vinegar. However, everyone can enter whether they get it right or wrong. It's the only one free of unwanted intruders because those with ill intent can't even see these barrels."

Hermione perked up with interest as she listened to Ziva explain. She found it fascinating that the only common room to remain free from invasion was also the room any member of House could enter. She gave it a try and placed her hand on the top of the barrel and gasped as the lid slid back to reveal an entrance.

"Now what?" Hermione asked.

Ziva stepped on one of the other barrels and jumped into the opening, sliding into the room. Hermione laughed softly before doing the same, finding herself inside the Hufflepuff room for the first time.

The first thing she noticed was that it was warm and welcoming, like a hug. There was an odd brightness to the room, despite the fact it was evening. There were large comfortable yellow and black sofas, a small fireplace, and lots of plotted plants. The room was rounded with circle windows that showed the grasses outside. She noted that the rest of the furnishing was copper in color, adding to the welcoming aesthetic.

"It's wonderful," Hermione murmured as she walked around to examine it further. "Are these plants from Herbology class?"

"No."

"Oh... did Professor Sprout plant them?"

"She gave them to us to take care of, yes. But they're specially made to be cared for inside, so not really Magical Herbology plants. More like normal ones, but don't say that to their face." Ziva responds. "These are the dormitory doors."

Hermione didn't have time to respond before Ziva walked in. She huffed and followed after her, only to be bombarded with another wonderful room. It was lit with copper lamps and had 4 separate beds laid out. Hermione noticed that the one with her trunk beside it had special Gryffindor decorations, as Luna's had Ravenclaws. They had handmade quilts, specialized for each persons personality.

"Thank you," Hermione said.

Ziva gave a small smile and then left without another word. The second she left the room she left out a large breath, shaking slightly. Her wrist was scratched raw and she shook her head in a self-deprecating manor. _Wonderful first impression_ , She thought.

Sighing, she walked towards a hanging golden succulent. It referred to itself as Larry, so she greeted him. Looking around Ziva realized all her old plants were gone and forgotten, probably destroyed in the battle. She introduced herself to them all and then looked around at her home.

It was all wrong.

The couches were the same style, but not worn down from years of student lounging. The fireplace was ash-less, the doors were too shiny, and the wooden floor was a centimeter off to the left (meaning the rebuilders centered it out). Ziva always noticed the littlest details and to realize they were all fixed unsettled her. It made a room that to any other would seem to be a replica become a chaotic mess to her. The last thing she needed was more chaos to disrupt her mind.

Home became a stranger to the wandering eyes of Ziva Pond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know technically it’s Headmistress McGonagall but I just didn’t like how it sounded.   
> Also any and all feed back would be greatly appreciated!   
> -K


	5. Ripples

The rest of the group had finished their meals and now night was upon them. The boys and girls went their separate ways and everything had settled down. Everything except for Ziva Ponds mind. She tried to rest like the others, but she couldn't quiet her thoughts.

Too much had changed and it was wrong. Her bed was stiff, the room didn't have a subtle dirt smell, and her brain wouldn't stop reminding her of these changes. It made her skin crawl and her wrist had gone red as a punishment for her anxiety.

It's times like these that made her miss her lost friends. Despite the fact that Cedric could've ignored her, he treated her like a brother would've. Anytime she was unsettled he'd always be okay when she woke him up at night. Sometimes he'd move over and they'd laid together until she fell asleep and he moved her back to her bed (the only time boys can go into the girls dormitory).

Other times they'd sit out in the common room and he'd listen to her rant about whatever. He'd fall asleep, despite his desperate attempt to stay awake, and then she'd move him to his bed. Even during his stress of the tournament he'd be there for her, and vice versa. She told him about ways to fight the dragon or how to breathe underwater. Her suggestions weren't the best in terms of spells, but he appreciated them anyways.

Then there was Fred and his glorious ability to make her smile. He and George were geniuses with their pranks and despite her poor taste in jokes, they always let her come along or have a part in their scheming. They taught her how to relax and got her mind off of the bad things. Fred was the first person she asked for a hug from. She could always tell the difference between the two (Their Freckles were slightly different) and they appreciated it.

Now they were gone and she sat awake and restless. This wasn't good for Ziva, she had to stick to a strict schedule and so far none of it has gone the way it needed to. She always went to bed at 11:03pm, and it was currently 2:32 in the morning. She always woke up at 8:01 in the morning... at this rate she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

More unwanted and unappreciated changes.

"You okay, Ziv? Having trouble sleeping?" Luna whispered in the dark, sitting up as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Sorry," Ziva responded. "I'm probably being too loud."

"No, it's okay. I've been having trouble sleeping these past months as well. My father made me some sleeping potions, I could give you a bit of you'd like. It's not very strong, I promise."

Ziva pondered this for a moment, "Okay. Thank you, Luna."

She stumbled over to Luna's bed as quietly as possible and took a sip from the bottle she was handed. Luna laid down again and soon Ziva found the darkness consuming her as well. Her last thought was how thankful she was that her mind would be quiet. Next to both sleeping girls laid an awake Hermione, regretting not speaking up as she too could not sleep.

Ziva woke up exactly on schedule and began her morning routine. She headed down for breakfast and waited patiently for her friends to join her. They were never as punctual so by the time the rest arrived she had already eaten and was ready for the first class.

During breakfast she began noticing new relationships forming. Hannah and Neville were engaged in a friendly conversation while Luna was talking to Rolf about Bowtruckles. Hermione was reviewing her books for the next class (Transfiguration) when Ziva stood.

"We must be going now. Class begins in 7 minutes and we can't be late." She announced, grabbing her books and walking off without waiting for them.

"Are you always this punctual?" Rolf asked.

This was her first time interacting with new friends in years. Rolf and Hannah were just classmates until now so there was still much for them to learn. Hermione was a complete stranger. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to change her habits to accommodate these new variables.

"Yes, she is." Neville responded, struggling to properly carry all his books in such a hurry. "It's great for making it to class on time, but not so much for having a nice stroll. She's never early or late, always on time. Isn't that right, Ziva?"

"Yes," She said, abruptly turning and walking in another direction.

The others followed her lead and narrowly passed as the staircase they were on suddenly did a sharp turn. Hermione almost forgot how quickly the stairs could change in her year on the run, and was honestly thankful for the other girls memory. The group made it to the transfiguration room and sat down right as class began.

"Hello, what a small class we're starting out with. I'm Professor Witherspoon, your new transfiguration teacher." The woman started, sitting on top of her desk.

It didn't take long for Ziva to lose interest in the information babble, unlike Hermione in front of her taking notes like mad. She distantly heard mentions of spirit animals and soul finders but her attention was focused on a hamster on the desk.

It was a rather cute hamster, being all black in color. He sat in a small carrier cage nibbling on some fresh vegetables. He seemed rather content despite his small living quarters.

"Am I boring you, Ms. Pond?" Professor Witherspoon asked, interrupting Ziva's thoughts.

"Not you, just your topic," Ziva responded. "Nothing personal. What's his name?"

The Professor raised an eyebrow in shock. She clearly wasn't prepared for such an honest answer. "Who's name?"

"The hamsters," Ziva said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "What's his name?"

"I don't see how that's relevant to the subject, Ms Pond. If you could please pay attention."

Ziva went quiet and tried to do as she was asked. She took notes and nodded her head, but nothing she heard really registered. Her eyes wandered over to the hamster again, who was now laying down in a small ball.

"So what would that lead us to believe?" Professor Witherspoon asked the class. Hermione's arm shot in the air, but was ignored as the professors black eyes zeroed in on Ziva. "What about you, Ms Pond? Do you know?"

"Do I know what?" 

"What everything I just stated would lead us to believe?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose it would depend on your beliefs." Ziva said after deeper thinking. "Is his name Charlie? He looks like a Charlie."

"Enough! If you aren't here to learn then leave." The teacher yelled, slamming a hand on her desk and startling the hamster. "Keep up this attitude and you'll find yourself in detention."

"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm not trying to be rude, but I just really need to know his name." Ziva responded.

The Professor marched over, black curly bouncing as she did, and stood in front of Ziva's desk. She kneeled down to look the girl in the eye.

"You're not very smart, are you?" Witherspoon whispered. "When I tell you to do something, you will do it. When I ask you a question, you will know the answer. Do I make myself clear?"

Ziva looked at the woman's large eyes and pointed nose. She felt her heart start racing and began scratching at her wrist again. She forced herself not to let her eyes wander back to the hamster and simply nodded her head.

Standing the woman smiled largely, "Perfect! Now, back to what I was saying. When a person chooses to become an Animagus they must have an idea of what their animal will be. Going in completely blind is unwise..."

Ziva remained quiet for the rest of the lesson, focusing on the smoothness of her desk. Her old one had also been George's, which meant that there use to be lots of inappropriate jokes on it. They weren't here anymore either.

Maybe it's name is George, Ziva thought to herself as the class was finally dismissed. As the group left the room, Ziva's head remained down and focused on the floor like a sad dog.

"Don't worry about her, Ziv. I was wondering his name as well," Hannah told her as they made their way to the common room for break. "She's just new and doesn't know you yet."

"I thought her lesson today was quiet brilliant," Hermione chimed in. "The process to change into an animagus sounds complicated but fascinating. I wonder if all of our inner Animagi are the same as our Patronus."

"She shouldn't have told Ziva that she wasn't very smart though," Neville said fiercely.

"Maybe you should start paying more attention," Hermione suggested to Ziva.

The girl remained silent throughout their walk. Even as they all sat down and began talking she found herself unable to join in. A small cactus on the wall spoke to her, _Are you alright, little flower?_

She looked at it and whispered, "The new Professor just gave me a bit of a hard time today. Rightfully so, I suppose. I couldn't concentrate and it came off as a bit rude."

_Did anything good happen? Something positive to focus on instead?_

"She has a pet hamster. He needed a bigger cage in my opinion, but he was quite cute. I'm not sure of his name yet, however." Ziva whispered back.

"We should get going since DADA is on the other side of the school." Luna spoke up, gathering her books again.

"Smart idea, Lovegood," Rolf jumped up and began walking her to the door.

"Such a flatterer, Scamander is." Hannah huffed, only to be flattered herself when Neville held the door open for her.

"They'd both make cute couples, don't you think?" Hermione asked Ziva as they began walking together.

Ziva wasn't very good at small talk so she could only smile and nod. In reality she didn't even realize the others were flirting with each other. The idea of everyone dating seemed odd to her, but she guessed it made sense. Not many other options after all.

"You know Professor Witherspoon might be nicer if you started to pay more attention. If you actually put in effort." Hermione stated. "You were being a bit rude earlier."

"I was trying to focus. I didn't mean to be rude," Ziva mumbled.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't try harder. It's not that bad," Hermione shrugged. "You can't be lazy and expect her not to be frustrated."

Ziva said nothing. She knew Hermione wouldn't understand just how hard it was for her to focus. How frustrating it became when her efforts to do so ended up wasted. It's easy for Hermione to listen and pay attention because it always had been.

Maybe it was Ziva's fault she couldn't be the same way. Maybe she was too broken to ever fix this issue. She hoped not.

They made it to DADA on time and Professor Dumbledore (quite weird to think) was sat at his desk. The group sat along the front row and waited for him to begin.

"Before we start, I don't want to be called Professor Dumbledore. It'd be weird for myself and I figure you as well. So you may call me Professor Aberforth," He started, voice deep and smooth. "Second, I believe it's quite ridiculous for me to teach your grade level. You all fought in the battle, did you not?"

"I was out of town," Rolf admitted, embarrassed.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, you were lucky," Hermione whispered. "We all fought but that doesn't mean we can't keep learning."

"My point is that you've all proven capable of defending yourself against the dark arts. You've battled Dementors, Dark wizards, Acromantulas, and werewolves. There are Aurors who haven't even done all that." Professor Aberforth explained. "So I've decided my class this year will be used to re-teach those with elements they struggle with."

Ziva perked up at this. She could handle strengthening her weaknesses far more than she could handle adding more. She always felt like there wasn't enough time to learn everything taught to her.

"Professor?" She spoke up (the first time she'd ever done so in a DADA class since Lupin). "Would you be able to teach the Patronus spell? I know the others may not need it, but I've never been able to do it quite right."

"Of course I could. In fact, that will be this weeks lesson. Is there anything else we would like to learn?"

Everyone began putting out suggestions. The atmosphere was dramatically better than it'd been that morning. Everyone had a suggestion and soon a full schedule worth of lessons were planned. Ziva found herself smiling and decided that Professor Aberforth was going to be a good teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and all the others. Feedback is welcomed and greatly appreciated!   
> -K


	6. 7th Year Lessons

Classes had officially started and so had the learning. Ziva found that her strengths still laid with Herbology, Magizoology, and Care of Magical Creatures. With Luna and Hermione helping, she even managed to do well in Charms and DADA. She discovered her Patronus. Neville even managed to give his shape in the form of a Black Bear.

The only class that Ziva could not begin to grow in was Transfiguration. With Headmaster McGonagall no longer teaching the class, and Professor Witherspoon having no patience, Ziva found herself struggling not to fail. Study as she might, Ziva could not manage to understand what Witherspoon was saying.

She had learned that the hamsters name was Georgie.

Today the group had their first Quidditch class in years(insisted to be taken for 'fun' by the Headmaster). Nobody was truly excited for this particular lesson, especially not Ziva. She discovered her fear of heights when she was 5 and her parents insisted she joined a quidditch league to 'make friends'.

She didn't.

The whole group, with exception to Ziva who was focused on listening to an Ant rant, was surprised to find that Viktor Krum was their new teacher (Madame Hooch must've still been in recovery). His hair was longer and he'd shaved his stubble. He looked quite handsome.

"Viktor?" Hermione asked, a smile on her face. "What're you doing here?"

"I am the new Quidditch teacher," He said proudly, smiling. "Just for this year."

Ziva heard his thick accent and bid the ant farewell. She looked closer at him and watching him interact with the others she decided he was nice. She'd heard of him all throughout her 4th year, mainly from Cedric.

"Nice to meet all of you." Krum said.

"Your English has gotten much better," Hermione observed. "You can even say my name clearly now. Have you been staying in London?"

"Yes," He announced. "I vas here for the past few years. Quidditch vas not important during the var."

"With a professional player teaching us, I might actually get off the ground." Neville joked.

They all got through the basics and were floating above ground. Krum demonstrates his own abilities by speeding through the air, doing spins and dives along the way. Ziva was impressed, but also hoped to Merlin she wouldn't have to do the same.

The rest of the group followed suit and were able to fly around the area in a circle. Everyone but Ziva Pond, that is. She stayed hovering where she was, hands gripping the broom tightly. Her knuckles white from the grip.

"Are you alright, um.. i didn't catch your name." Krim asked as he landed beside her.

"Ziva," She said nervously, eyes glued to the broomstick. "My name's Ziva and I really hate flying."

"Okay, Ziva, that's alright. We can start off slow." He said, grabbing her broom. He rose almost 10 feet higher, simply guiding her along side him.

"Wait!"Ziva yelled at the change. She closed her eyes and started to breath rapidly. "I can't do this!"

"You can! You can do anything, promise." Krum whispered to her reassuringly. "When I was a child I hated heights. Did you know that?"

"So you decided to make a living in a sport surrounding heights?" Ziva questioned, voice shaking. "And they call me mad."

"Mad? You're not mad. But yes, I overcome my fears and look at me now. Youngest and best seeker in Bulgaria." Victor explained. "Open your eyes."

Ziva did and found that he moved her higher without her even realizing it. She held on tighter and tried not to look down. Instead she focused on looking at the kind man in front of her. She could understand why the girls fawned over him years before.

"Are you dead? No." He laughed, slowly leading her into a circle. "You're doing fantastic. I must be careful, don't want you take my job."

"That would truly make me mad," Ziva laughed nervously. "H-How High Are we?"

"A birds cruise height," Krum explained, turning her again.

"I like birds," Ziva began to ramble. "They're quite nice. All types of birds, even the big kind like a Hippogriff. Well they're only part bird but it still counts. My favorite bird is a Hummingbird."

"Really?" Krum asked, laughing. "Vhy's that?"

"They move so fast, like my thoughts."

"I like the Peregrine Falcon. They're fastest in the Verlt." Krum explained. "It is my Patronus. Vas is yours?"

"A red pandaaa!" She began screaming as he brought her down into a steep dive. He stopped quickly and smoothly, letting her down first to join the others as class came to an end.

"You all did very well," Krum announced. "Vas it more fun then you thought?"

"Yes, thank you." Rolf responded for them all.

Then lunch time hit and they all bid the player farewell for the week. Hannah and Neville were chatting happily away and Ziva began to understand it was their way of 'flirting'.

"So, you and Krum seemed quite cozy," Rolf teased as they all walked together. "He seemed to be quite a nice teacher, eh?"

"He was very good at teaching. I've never gone that high before." Ziva agreed, unsure what that had to do with being 'cozy'. "Birds go that high and I like birds."

"What did you guys talk about?" Hermione asked.

"Birds. Oh and Patronus' for a few seconds." Ziva responded.

Rolf wrapped his arm lazily around Ziva, "Very smooth of him. If I was as wicked as he was at Quidditch I'd probably say the same thing as well."

Ziva grew uncomfortable under his arm but tried her best not to push him off. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say."

"He thinks Krum has the hots for you, little innocent Ziva." Hannah exclaimed as she joined the conversation. "I think he might be right. I say go for it, he's quite attractive."

"He's her teacher," Hermione chimed in. "You can't possibly date a teacher."

"Well, technically he's only a friendly coach. It's not an actual class so much as an activity we can attend." Luna corrected, smiling slightly. "I think Ziva deserves some fun and I think he'd be nice to her. My father dislikes him though, says he's a part of a big dark magic group searching for lost items."

Ziva walked along trying to understand what they were trying to say. She wasn't sure what Krum could've done to make them think he was flirting, let alone that he fancied her. Surely he was just being nice.

"Ron doesn't care much for him either," Hermione mumbled.

"He was nice." Ziva said.

"Very nice," Rolf winked, finally removing his arm from her and sat down at the table.

"I agree with Hermione, I don't think I'd be okay with dating someone who's technically teaching me. Besides, I don't think he's really my type." Ziva explained as she began eating.

"What is your type, Ziv?" Neville asked curiously.

"Not hot badass guys," Hannah mumbled under breath. Seeing Neville's uncomfortable look she realized she should continue, "Like someone who would cut off a demon snake head."

That made him smile.

The banter continued and the question was soon forgotten. The fact that Ziva avoided answering it went over everyone's head, except for Hermione's. The brilliant witch watched as Ziva blushed and stayed quiet for the rest of the meal.

Then the mail was delivered. Hundreds of owls swept across the great hall with letters from loved ones, the Daily Prophet, and other things along those lines. Everyone received something other than Ziva, who didn't have an owl anyways.

"Ron is too sweet," Hermione exclaimed after reading a letter. "We've been together for a few months now and he's been amazing."

"I always thought you and Harry would end up together," Luna confesses as she flipped through the latest Quibbler article. "Ron is nice."

"Were you and Harry ever a thing?" Hannah asked. "Like you've at least snogged him, right?"

"Harry? No, of course I haven't," Hermione exclaimed in disgust, "He's my best friend. That's all we've ever been."

"I heard a rumor Harry and Ron were a thing. I never believed it, of course, since I'm pretty sure Draco started that rumor." Neville added. "He and Ginny are quite nice together."

"I have an idea," Ziva said suddenly. "Who here is willing to break a few rules?"

"Ziva you've never broken a rule in your life," Neville said, bewildered.

"Of course I have," Ziva dismissed. "My best friends used to be the infamous Weasley Twins, Neville. Anyways, who's coming with?"

"The school year just began, Ziva, I don't think breaking rules is a good idea." Hermione spoke up.

"What are they going to do? Expel me?" Ziva stood up with a grin. "I don't even have to be here."

"Well I can't let you go alone and i wouldn't mind a bit of fun." Rolf stood up next to Ziva. "Anyone else want to come along?"

They all declined so the two new friends quietly left the room and went their way. Rolf had trouble keeping up with the small girl, despite being far taller. He was desperate to ask questions about what exactly he agreed to but wasn't sure how.

Rolf was intimidated by her, if he was being honest. Intimidated by her randomness and her honesty and how he never truly knew where her head was at. She was either talking about feelings with Mrs Norris or suggesting mischief, like right now. Over the years he'd grown use to hearing her talking to things that didn't talk back. Their classmates use to call her Zonky Ziva, and while the nickname didn't make much sense they all knew it was their way of calling her crazy. He felt bad that he called her it too, once upon a time.

"This hidden passage way will lead us to a tunnel. That tunnel connects to Hogsmeade." Ziva announced after revealing the passageway behind the statue.

Rolf was impressed as he followed her into the long dark tunnel. It was moist and smelt of dirt. The area was quiet with exception to their own feet, and Rolf found himself a bit cold.

"How did you find this passage?" Rolf asked.

"The Twins," Ziva said.

He could hear her fondness in her voice. It made him feel worse about Fred's passing. Ziva didn't have much friends but the ones she had she loved terribly. He saw it over the years, how she would smile more with them and help them however she could. She was a bit odd but none of them seemed to mind it. The most shocking thing was her friendship with Cedric, the most popular guy in Hufflepuff. She lost him too, Rolf realized.

"What are we stealing?" The boy asked after stumbling over his feet.

"Butterbeer. Maybe Firewhiskey if we can." Ziva said simply.

Rolf couldn't help but laugh. She made it sound so simple and easy. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was growing fond of her, he admitted to himself. He found her bluntness refreshing.

"I didn't think you were the rebel type," Scamander said. "You seem so..."

"Innocent?" Ziva finished for him.

"Yes, actually. You find joy in sunshine, animals, and plants. It's so sweet and innocent." Rolf admitted. "Never thought you'd be the one to help break in and steal sweet drinks and alcohol."

"I've done this many times, Rolf. My connection with nature helps me do it actually. Danny the Dog is always outside the shop. He helps me keep look out," Ziva begins to explain. "Madame Rosmerta has a Yeknits Plant, which can release a very foul smell. I get him to do it as a distraction."

Rolf was surprised when she was right. Well, almost surprised because he knew she was never lying. So by the end of the hour they had two armfuls of Butterbeer and Firewhiskey in hand. They laughed as they struggled to hold all of it on the journey back

"You're not that bad, Pond." Rolf said when they successfully hid their goods in the boys dormitory (with the aid of some House Elves Ziva was friends with). "Never thought I'd be taught how to steal by the great Ziva Pond."

"I know," She smiled back. "Nobody knows my fun side seeing as those who did are dead."


	7. Wizards Honor

Convincing the others to let loose and enjoy the gifts Ziva and Rolf acquired took some time. Neville agreed to join shortly after Hannah. Luna didn't see a problem with it. It was Hermione who needed convincing. She was furious to learn that the items were stolen (though her lecture fell on deaf ears). Then she insisted that getting drunk in the dormitories was guaranteed expulsion.

By midnight she caved. It wasn't peer pressure since they all agreed they wouldn't make her do anything. She only went through with it when she realized she'd be alone. She couldn't see any harm in bonding with the others so long as they didn't get caught.

"We're playing a drinking game. I'm sure you all know Wizards Honor." Rolf explained as he poured everyone a cup of Butterbeer mixed with Fireball (an oddly pleasant drink). "We all have to make completely honest statements about something we haven't done and whom ever has done the thing has to take a drink."

"So it's the wizard version of Never Have I Ever?" Hannah asked.

"Yes. Actually, I'm not sure because I don't know what that is." Ziva shrugged. "I'll go first. I swear on Wizards Honor that I have never broken a bone."

Neville was the only one who took a sip ( _I tripped down the stairs once and crushed my pinky toe._ ) Hermione rolled her eyes but went along with the game as she held up her hand to make her statement.

"I swear on Wizards Honor that I have never failed a class."

Ziva took a sip as well as Neville. ( _I wouldn't have if Snape didn't hate me so much_ , He said). Ziva failed too many classes to be bothered to tell her tale.

"My turn!" Rolf spoke with a big smile. "I swear on a Wizards Honor I never snogged a guy."

The girls groaned and Hannah drank with Hermione taking a small sip. Luna even took a drink, much to Rolf's disappointment. However, when Ziva took a sip as well everyone seemed surprise.

"You've _kissed_ someone?" Rolf asked. "Like a proper snog?"

"Yes."

"Who with?" Neville asked next.

"A few people, to be honest."

The shock was clear on everyone's faces. The idea that innocent Ziva wasn't so innocent seemed to boggle everyone (Except Hermione who hardly knew the girl). Some thought to themselves who would want to date someone as weird as Ziva... they wouldn't say that aloud though. Luna took that moment to try and clear the air.

"Wizards Honor, I have never almost failed a potions class."

All the boys groaned and took their sips. Ziva smiled at Luna in appreciation for getting back at the boys for their previous reaction. She still wasn't sure why everyone was so surprised.

"Ooo, I have one," Hannah spoke up with a mischievous look. "On Wizards Honor I have never been to the Forbidden Forest for a makeout session."

"Who would do that?" Hermione asked in disgust.

Apparently, Ziva would. Seeing as she was the only one in the circle to take a drink. _I'm going to need a refill soon enough_ , She thought to herself, completely unaware of the questioning looks she was receiving.

"Now hold on a moment," said Hannah. "You've snogged a bunch of lads and you've never told us. And now I'm just learning that you've been to the secret makeout area of the Forest? Who are you and what have you done with Ziva?"

"If you're all just going to ask her questions, we might as well play a better game. Truth or Dare." Hermione spoke up, the drink seeming to make her more bold. "That way she'd have to answer the questions. We all would."

"You mean Duel or Beware? Thats the Wizards version of that, I suppose." Rolf spoke up. "That's the most brilliant thing you've said today, Ms Granger. We're all playing Duel or Beware now. If you choose Duel, you have to do a dare. If you choose beware, you have to be ready to answer anything you're asked."

"Great!" Hannah smiled turning to Ziva as she refilled her drink. "Ziva, Who did you snog in the forbidden forest?"

"Which time?"

The girls screamed and the boys quickly had to quiet them.

"How many times have you been?" Rolf asked. "No that's not a question. Okay, so you choose Beware?"

"Sure," Ziva shrugged.

"Okay so answer Hannah's question. Who all have you snogged in the Forest?" Rolf asked as he too took a drink.

"Year 4 I snogged Eliza Castle there one night. Year 5 I snogged Draco, once year 4 as well. Oh yeah, I went there with Pansy Parkinson a few times." Ziva listed off. "Fred and I had a short fling a few months into his last year here so we snuck there a few times."

The room was silent with shock. Luna found it surprising she never knew about it, then again she never asked (Ziva never told people things if she wasn't asked). Rolf was surprised at how much game Ziva had over the years (he snogged only one person before). Neville was in horror that his friend had hooked up with Draco Malfoy of all people. Hermione was surprised that Fred had a small fling with such an odd girl she'd never heard of before. She didn't think Ziva was his type.

They were all surprised that Ziva Pond admitted to being with girls.

"My turn!" Ziva said, seemingly unaware of the silence. "Luna, Duels or Beware?"

"Beware."

"Which is your favorite: a niffler or a Kneazle?" Ziva asked, a large grin on her face.

Luna took a moment to contemplate her answer. She loved both creatures dearly and felt bad to chose. "Kneazle, but only because they don't always take my allowance."

Luna then turned to Rolf and asked the same question (he chose Niffler). Rolf turned to Hannah with a wicked grin. It made everyone nervous but excited for what the boy had planned.

"Duel or Beware, Hannah?" He asked.

"Duel," She grinned with growing confidence (from the drink probably). "Hit me with your best shot, Scamander."

"I dare you to kiss the person you find most attractive in this room." He smiled.

She went bright red with embarrassment as all eyes turned to her. Ziva noticed how Neville turned red too, although she wasn't sure if it's embarrassment or nervousness.

"That's horrible, Rolf" Hermione said. "She doesn't have to do-"

Hannah kissed Neville and successfully cut off Hermione. She kissed him hard and fully for at least a minute before pulling away. They both were red as cherries. Neville looked like he was drunk from more than just his drink.

"My turn, Scamander." She smiled before speaking. "Sorry Hermione but I need some payback. You can go next, promise. Duel or Beware, Rolf?"

"Duel," He said, though with a waning confidence.

"I dare you to kiss the person you like more than a friend in this room." Hannah declared as she sat back. "Someone you have feelings for."

It was Rolf's turn to blush. Luna rolled her eyes and grabbed Rolf by his robes, kissing him first. It was passionate and real, making him go even more red when she pulled away with a smile. Ziva appreciated the bluntness, since she too would've done the same in order to get rid of the awkward silence before.

Then she wished she had Jedediah with her. He was a sucker for drama and love affairs. He'd always tell her about what he learned while she was away in class. About how Pansy wanted to get revenge on Draco for being rude, soon leading Pansy to use Ziva for that revenge. How Draco was talking about needing a proper snog to lessen his stress, so when Draco confronted her alone in a hallway one night Ziva wasn't surprised at his less than subtle suggestions.

Ziva may not be the brightest witch or the prettiest but she was good at kissing, she learned. She had a way of making people like her, even if they wouldn't admit it. Even Draco Malfoy hinted that he liked her (even if he wouldn't show it publicly). Eliza said it was the best relationship she'd ever had (although she was in the closet and only ever been with guys).

"Right," Hermione said. "It's my turn and before you guys think of anything like that, I'm not kissing anyone. I'm with Ron."

"Okay, then Duel or Beware?" Hannah asked.

"Beware."

"Who do you least like here?"

Hermione got flustered. So much so that she took a big gulp of her drink before considering how to answer. Maybe she could just refuse.

"It's me," Ziva said. "I know."

"It's nothing personal, Ziva. I just don't know you very well and we're very different. I'm sure you're an amazing person," Hermione rushed to try and explain. She felt bad that it'd been so obvious.

"That's okay," Ziva said simply, as if use to it. "My turn. I choose Duel."

"I dare you to take one person here to the forbidden forest and give them an idea of what you've done in the forest before." Neville blurted out, face red from the Alcohol.

"No, that's ridiculous. She doesn't have to do that." Hannah spoke up, "We really shouldn't be forcing everyone to hook up, it's weird."

"I'll do it if whoever I take with me doesn't make it awkward." Ziva admitted. "I know you all have a sort of developing relationship and Hermione has made it clear she's off limits. In other words, I'm not sure how that would work."

"Rolf or I will do it." Luna responded. "I've always wondered what kissing a girl would be like and... well Rolf it's up to you if you'd go. I wouldn't be mad."

Hermione, Neville, and Hannah were all shocked. _What the bloody hell is in our drinks_ , Hermione wondered. However, she noticed that Luna had barely drank anything and Rolf wasn't really affected by his own.

"I'm up for a good time," Rolf admitted.

Ziva considered this, feeling more confident then ever before. She knew it was because of her being on her third cup that night. That the real Ziva wasn't bold enough to do this. But she wanted to be, for just one night, reckless and free to have fun. To be... normal. A teenager who made bad choices instead of talking to cacti about the weather.

"Luna, would you mind walking with me on an adventure?"

As the girls left the room, Hermione suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She frowned and pushed her drunk aside, deciding that it must be the problem. She contemplated everything that happened tonight... everything about to happen. She knew this was a bad idea, even if she had a bit of fun. She hoped things wouldn't be weird tomorrow.

That night Hermione couldn't stop imagining Ziva Pond kissing Pansy Parkinson. Or Luna Lovegood, for the matter. Even after the girls came back whispering and giggling before bed, she couldn't stop thinking. She felt sick again, unsure why it came back. She felt as if her stomach was knotted.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to rid herself of the images she imagined. The idea of Ziva's large pouted lips clashing with Luna's. The idea of Ziva pushing Eliza against a tree as she slipped her tongue into the girls mouth. Of Pansy running her hands through Ziva's thick brown hair and over her creamy light skin.

Hermione shivered and felt ashamed of the way those thoughts began to make her feel. Not sick but rather excited. She turned over and looked at Ziva sleeping, her lips still slightly pouted and her collarbones exposed in her nightgown.

_I just miss Ron_ , Hermione told herself before closing her eyes. _I don't even like Ziva._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all enjoyed this! I thought it would be fun to explore the forming relationships in a very classic Teenage way (although with a magical twist of sorts). As always, feedback is welcome!   
> -K


	8. Transfiguration Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the feedback! It’s really appreciated. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. -K

Ziva did not kiss Luna Lovegood the previous night. When they got to the forest she came back to who she was. Luna wasn't Eliza or Draco or Pansy. Those were people who used Ziva as a means to an end, as a way to rid themselves of their troubles. Ziva was okay with that, but she couldn't do the same to Luna.

Luna didn't like Ziva in that way, even if she was a bit curious. So when they both arrived they both made it clear they weren't going to do anything. They were just best friends. Instead, Ziva walked Luna around the forest edge and introduced her to some old friends. Luna asked questions and got answers. She should've asked more questions over the years, she realized.

When they woke up (8:01 exactly) and went to lunch Hermione was nowhere in site. The two shut down the load of questions their friends bombarded on them. Ziva even noticed that Rolf seemed to smile a lot more when he realized nothing happened. She didn't know why that was but she was happy he did.

They all left at Ziva's word and headed to Transfiguration class. Hermione was already there when they arrived. Ziva was upset to see Georgie was no longer on the table. Class began and so did her struggling.

"Ms Pond," Professor Witherspoon announced at the start of her lesson. "Join me up here to help demonstrate for the class."

Scratching her wrist Ziva stood and walked to the front of the class. Professor Witherspoon laid a firm hand on the girls shoulder as she opened a box and Georgie crawled out and in front of the table.

"Hello," Ziva said with a nervous smile.

 _Hi_ , he squeaked in turn.

The professors grip tightened almost painfully on Ziva's shoulder, "Ms Pond will be demonstrating a simple Transfiguration as a way of refreshing our minds. Ms Pond, if you can please change the hamster into a teacup."

Ziva's heart sunk, "Oh I can't do that. It's just not right."

"What do you mean, Ms Pond? It's a basic year 3 lesson. Now don't argue and demonstrate for the class," Professor Witherspoon said, her nails starting to dig into Ziva's shoulder.

"I know the spell, Professor. But it's quite rude and honestly unnatural. Every time I've had to do it in the past the poor creatures are in so much pain. They really don't like it." Ziva explained as tears came to her eyes. "Please don't make me do this, Professor. Georgie is my friend."

"The creatures are perfectly unharmed," Professor insisted. "Now enough with this nonsense and do the spell. Or else I'll have no choice but to give you detention for not following orders."

"Professor," Hermione spoke up.

"Silence," Witherspoon yelled out. "5 points from Gryffindor for interrupting."

"I can't do it," Ziva whispered, her shoulder really hurting now. "I'm sorry, Professor, but it's cruel to turn life into an inanimate object. It's just not how things are supposed to work!"

"Detention, Ms Pond. I must have a conversation with the Headmaster about your inability to follow simple directions. Not to mention this nonsense you keep babbling on about." The woman hissed after pushing Ziva forward harshly. "You may leave, Ms Pond, because I will not have you disrupt the class any longer."

Tears fell down Ziva's cheek and she nodded her head, "Yes, Professor."

Ziva left the room ashamed of herself and slowly made her way outside. She shouldn't have argued, she told herself. She didn't believe that but she didn't know what else she could've done. It just felt wrong, what she had to do in Transfiguration. Headmaster McGonagall never forced her to transfigure animals after the incident in year 1. She always had a toy substitute.

Ziva found herself in the garden by the pond. Laying in the grass (carefully and with permission) with the crisp autumn air made her feel better. She breathed in the scent of dirt, grass, and trees as the sound of the waters movements calmed her. She smiled as the grass tickled her and listened to their conversations with one another.

A doe peaked out from the woods and took a drink from the pond. She was a beautiful creature with smooth brown hair. Soon a few rabbits came out as well. Ziva greeted them all hello.

The doe was shy. She didn't want to tell Ziva her name so Ziva didn't force her to. The rabbits were energized and happily bounced around Ziva. Their names were Holly and Jolly. She wondered if they celebrated Christmas... probably not.

Holly jumped onto Ziva's lap and snuggled into her, suddenly tired. She liked it when Ziva pet her softly. Jolly had a deep voice and bumbled on about the neighbors who kept taking all the good cabbages in the west end of the forest.

Someone stepped on a branch and the animals all jumped up and ran into the woods again. Ziva turned and was surprised to see Hermione standing a few feet away from her. Ziva waved and whispered apologies on behalf of Hermione to the grass as the other girl sat down.

"Why aren't you in class?" Ziva asked curiously.

"It seems Ron's impulsiveness rubbed off on me a bit too much. After Professor Witherspoon told you to leave I couldn't help but yell at her. She didn't take that kindly," Hermione explained rather abashed.

"Why would you do that?" Ziva asked.

"She was being unfair and rude. No Professor should treat their students that way. She's almost worse than Snape had been." Hermione explained.

"I don't like Transfiguration," Ziva mumbled as she looked down. "It shouldn't be a thing. Life can't be made into something without a soul, and vise versa."

"If it shouldn't happen then it wouldn't, right?" Hermione shrugged. "I can help you with it, if you'd like."

"I don't want to get better," Ziva groaned in frustration. "It's not right! If everything can be made into something else then nothing would have a purpose. All life comes from somewhere, so you can't just— It's not okay."

Ziva started to feel upset again. She scratched her wrist and started to rock gently back and forth. It felt hard for her to breath and concentrate. She didn't know how to explain what she felt and it made her angry.

"Hey," Hermione said reaching to touch Ziva.

The girl jumped away as if afraid to be burnt. The idea of being touched now made her skin crawl and her mind race. Hermione took back her hand and tried to think of another idea.

"Ziva," Hermione said calmly. "It's okay, I understand. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I'm sure Headmaster McGonagall will help you like she did before, right?"

Ziva calmed down a bit, stopping herself from rocking so much. She still rubbed her wrist and breathed deeply. _Yes_ , she thought, _Professor McGonagall will help me. I'll have to talk to her soon._

"You don't like being touched, do you?" Hermione asked after a moment.

Hermione had watched Ziva closely the past few weeks. How Ziva never hugged her friends back or how she never usually initiated contact. She saw how uncomfortable Ziva seemed yesterday when Rolf had his arm around her.

"No, not really." Ziva admitted.

"Okay," Hermione said. "I won't touch you and I'll make sure Rolf knows not to either."

"Thank you," Ziva said.

The girls began to walk back to the school together. Ziva would whisper randomly to herself, but Hermione pretended not to notice. She thought back to when she first saw Ziva outside, laying in the grass with a doe and two rabbits by her side. How the grass seemed to reach toward her, like plants leaned toward sunlight. For a moment she let herself consider Ziva's ability to communicate with nature being real. She dismissed the thought, surely nature didn't speak. Well, with exception to Snakes.

"Ziva!" Neville exclaimed when the group reunited in the common room after class ended. "Are you alright? Professor Witherspoon was horrible today."

"Yes, I am fine." Ziva said Before turning to talk to Rolf's cat lounging on the sofa.

 _Hiya, Dear. Have you been smelling fresh tuna or is that just me?_ He said.

"Lunch today seems to be some sort of fish stew. I'll be sure to sneak some in for you tonight," Ziva whispered back with a smile.

 _Always an angle, you are!_ He said back, almost grinning before Rolf walked over. Instantly his face went neutral again, having a reputation to keep up.

"What's he on about now?" Rolf asked as he scratched his cats orange ears. Rolf didn't really believe Ziva could talk with animals until the previous day when he saw it himself.

"He's a bit hungry for the tuna the elves are making," Ziva told him with a smile. "You know I've never talked to a tuna before. I'm sure they're lots of fun to talk to, as most fish are. They sound kind of funny."

Ziva laughed and Rolf just nodded, unsure of how to respond. He looked at his orange tabby cat (Alfred) and wondered what his pet sounded like. What he might think of being owned by Rolf. He hoped Alfred liked him.

"Speaking of the way people sound," Rolf said after his cat ran back into the dormitory,"If you've been living in England your whole life, why do you have a Irish accent?"

"Mum and Pa were both Irish so I grew up around it. Not to mention the family Toad we had when I was little was the most Irish of us all." Ziva answered.

"Right," Rolf mumbled.

Later on that night the gang was in the common room, some doing their homework and others just talking. The DADA class earlier that afternoon was revisiting Boggarts, so the topic of conversation was everyone's fears. More specifically, how they'd all changed since Lupin taught them last.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Professor Snape is no longer my biggest fear," Neville rambled as he sloppily wrote his Astrology paper. "It would've been like seeing a ghost. I just don't think that snakes make much sense. I killed a snake with Voldemort's horcrux in it, so why would I be afraid of one."

"Because that was the scariest moment of your life," Ziva said nonchalantly as she watered the plants. _Silly first years always forget to._

"Oh," Neville said softly before turning away and back to his paper. "I suppose you're right, Ziva."

"Well I'm not at all surprised with my fear," Rolf said. "The idea of any of my creatures dying... it's something I fear all the time. My grandfather trusted my father, who trusts me, with taking care of all of them."

"You'll never not take care of them," Luna comforted him. "I hope I get to meet some of them someday. So long as none of them are bats, because that would scare me."

Everyone laughed at the memory of Luna freaking out after a swarm of bats flew out of the dresser. She'd managed to turn them into butterflies after regaining her composure. 

Then the group remembered some of their peers darker fears. Hermiones fear of Ron and Harry dying. She was so distraught that she couldn't laugh the boggart away. Hannah was afraid of Fenrir Greyback, after she watched him kill her best friend Lavander (who didn't survive her first transition).

"What was your fear, exactly? It didn't really have a shape." Hermione asked Ziva after drying her parchment and rolling it up neatly.

"Being alone." Ziva answers.

"That's depressing," Hannah mumbled after marking out another line of her paper in frustration.

"You'll never be alone," Rolf exclaimed with a goofy smile. "You're stuck with us now."

Ziva didn't know how to respond so she didn't. Instead she looked at her blank parchment for her Transfiguration essay (2x time length of the others as punishment for her attitude). She wondered about what tree the paper came from. She hoped it was a tree that had lived a long full life and died of natural causes.

"We should all become Animagi," Luna said unexpectedly.

"Absolutely!" Hannah perked up suddenly. "I've been thinking that since the start of this lesson with Professor Witherspoon. She wasn't supposed to tell us how to become it since it's technically not allowed, but now we know we should do it. In year 3 they only tell you the basics, but she told us everything."

"I'm not too sure that's a good idea," Neville said. "She also told us about a hundred different things that could go wrong."

"Besides," Hermione added, "It's illegal to become Animagi and not tell the ministry. It also is against a ton of school rules."

"It could be potentially beneficial!" Rolf jumped in with a smile, "Being an animal would make it so much easier for my future in Magizoology. It'd be a better way to communicate with and observe magical creatures in their natural habitats."

"It would be quite the experience," Luna said. "Lightning storms happen most frequently in the month of November so we'd have to start soon."

"We're not starting anything," Hermione exclaimed. "It's beyond dangerous and illegal. What if something went wrong and we got stuck mid-transition? We wouldn't be able to fix that."

"What if we bring up the idea to Headmaster McGonagall? That way we're safe and we can even register legally to the ministry. Our arguments would be compelling. Saying it's for our futures as well as our protection." Hannah suggested.

"Protection?" Rolf asked.

"She means that if we're ever in trouble we could change to save ourselves. It's especially helpful in escaping or avoiding werewolf attack's." Neville clarifies.

"Professor McGonagall would never agree to help us." Hermione exclaimed.

"She helped Harry's dad," Luna spoke up. "Professor Lupin told me about how his friends tried to keep it secret from her but he reckoned she knew. He said she didn't stop him because she knew they were trying to help him during the full moon."

The room went silent as they all considered this. Considered following through with changing into an Animagus. Luna as a hare; Neville as a bear; Hermione as an otter; Hannah as a squirrel; Rolf as a Quokka; Ziva as a red panda. They considered the risks and the complexity of the spell they all just spent weeks studying. 

They would have to secretly hold a mandrake leaf in their mouth for a month while saying a incantation daily. Then drink the potion during a lightning storm on a visible full moon to use its moon rays as a part of the potion. Not to mention gathering untouched dew that's been free of light for seven days.

Ziva considered how she would feel about the transition. Was it natural for a person to turn into an animal? It wasn't life bred from no life or vice versa. The chapter (that took her hours to understand) explained that the animal was a part of the person. That it was like a Patronus in the sense they're spiritually connected.

She felt like it was natural. If she followed anything in life it would be her feelings.

"Yes okay." Ziva said.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"We do it." Ziva simply said before heading to bed.

It was 11:03 after all.


	9. McGonagall Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note about where I’m going with Hermiones character in this book. I’m trying to portray her as someone struggling with internalized homophobia and having a hard time understanding just how she feels/her sexuality (Especially since this is in the late 1990s). Hopefully you guys appreciate how I’m showing this, but I thought it’d be best to give a heads up. As always feedback is always welcome! -K

The sun shone brightly on the 7th years. The air was crispy but the sun kept them pleasantly warm in the middle of the forest. Hagrid had gone off to retrieve today's magical creature so Ziva took a moment to pet a squirrel. It crawled up Ziva's arm and rested on her shoulder.

"What's this little guys name?" Luna asked.

"His name is Pablo Picasso apparently." Ziva said with a shrug. "Said he chose it himself after an Artist. Must've been a Muggle."

"Picasso was a brilliant artist from a couple decades ago," Hermione chimed in after softly petting the squirrels tail.

"He likes you," Ziva told her. "He told me that you're the only one with any sense."

"Right," Hermione played along, not sure if she believed the girl.

It was then that Hagrid returned and with him was the largest spider Ziva had ever seen. It crawled out in front of them with hairy legs and hundreds of black eyes.

> "An Acromantula!" Rolf said in excitement. "I'm frickin' zazzed for this! Hagrid, I love you."

Hagrid laughed deep in his belly, "Calm down, Rolf. This is my friend Zarog and he's agreed not to eat you."

"That's nice," Neville whispered nervously.

"Don't push your luck," Zarog said in clacking deep voice. "I'm only here because I failed to bring my master food this month. I could bring him you if I change my mind."

"Nice to meet you Mr Zarog," Ziva greeted with a smile.

The lesson continued rather smoothly. Rolf and Luna asked a ton of questions, which helped soften Zarogs hatred. Neville refused to go anywhere near it while Hermione couldn't wait to write to the boys about it. She always figured they were being over dramatic about their near death experience.

The beast was most taken by Ziva. He felt an urge to connect with her, as if she was a magnet drawing him in. He didn't even want to eat her, he noticed. There was never a human he'd met that he didn't want to eat. He found that he was sad when he had to leave, looking back at her waving goodbye.

Then the group was off to talk to Professor Sprout. They decided the previous night that getting the Mandrake leaves would make it easier to convince McGonagall to go along with their plan. Hermione said it showed responsibility and dedication.

"Hello, Professor Sprout," Neville greeted her as they came to Herbology.

"Neville!" The lady exclaimed with a bright smile before looking to the rest of them. "How can I help everyone?"

"We were hoping you could help us with an... experiment." Neville explained with a nervous smile. "For this we need some Mandrake leaves. One per person is all."

"Well that's a rather big ask," Professor Sprout said with a bright smile. "I'd be glad to help in anyway I can, however. Just be careful with them."

They all carefully took a leaf, Ziva quietly apologizing to the Mandrake. They all started to leave before the professor stopped them.

"What exactly are these for again?" She asked, eyes trained mainly on Ziva for an explanation.

"Fun." Ziva said before leaving.

It wasn't technically a lie. Professor Sprout laughed and bid the others farewell, glad to see that they were all as curious as ever. Hermione caught up with Ziva first, nervously biting your lip.

"Do you think Professor McGonagall will actually help us?" Hermione asked her as they made their way to the Headmasters office.

"No, probably not." Ziva responded. "It doesn't hurt to try."

They said the password that Headmaster McGonagall's letter told them that afternoon after they wrote to her. Then they all met her in her office where she sat patiently waiting.

"You said you needed my help with something?" The Headmaster asked.

Ziva took this moment to look around the room while her friends explained their situation. She was never any good at talking. The room was clean and organized. The walls were lined with many bookshelves holding hundreds of books. The furniture was shiny and there were dozens of portraits on the wall of past Headmasters (she guessed). She'd never been in this office before.

"Are you really suggesting I aid you into transfiguring into Animagi?" Professor McGonagall asked in a rather harsh voice. "I will do no such thing."

"We know the risks, Headmaster," Luna argues back. "You see, Professor Witherspoon has been teaching us about the spell since the start of the semester."

"Has she?" McGonagall asked, clear disdain in her voice. Obviously she wasn't aware of the new teachers lesson plan.

"We already have Mandrake leaves!" Neville chimed in as he showed her the leaf. "Hermione and Luna have been trying to track down when a lightning storm will occur."

"This isn't a simple changing spell, Mr. Longbottom. It's very dangerous and I can not help aid you in something that puts your lives at risk." The Headmaster said in a tone of finalization.

The others nodded their heads and were prepared to go when Ziva spoke up, "We would just do it without you."

"I beg your pardon, Ms Pond?" McGonagall asked, face slathered in surprise.

"Chances are we would still attempt to perform the spell." Ziva clarifies. "Changing is beneficial to all of us and our futures. So of course we're going to try."

"I've been in danger since my first year," Hermione added in. "Chances are I could be in danger tomorrow. I would prefer the opportunity to aid my safety in whatever way I can."

McGonagall was genuinely surprised at the argument she was being given. She bit back her smile at how much the students stubbornness reminded her of the Marauders. Only these were kids who have been in continuous danger and were thinking of ways to survive... in the past it was the actions of friends just wanting to be there for one another.

"I will not openly help you break the law," The old Professor declared. "If you happen to follow through with this plan and need help should a crisis arise... you know what my password is."

"Wicked," Rolf smiled brightly before grabbing his friends and leaving before the Headmaster could change her mind.

The Headmaster laughed to herself. She was surprised more students hadn't tried what they were going to. Then she considered how Ziva confronted her. Ziva Pond was a student McGonagall never paid too much attention to. She gave her a way to not have to hurt animals (although she was certain no harm happened in transfigurations) and gave her study guides, but other than that the girl didn't stand out before. She never asked questions or paid attention. McGonagall always brushed it off as laziness and was now wondering if she had been wrong to do so.

That night was a full moon. They each put the leaf in their mouths when the moon first peaked in the sky (in folded up squares to make it easier to hold). They were all excited to try something not many others had. 

"I'm surprised Ron and Harry never tried to do this," Neville told Hermione as they sat by the camp fire.

"I'm honestly glad they didn't," Hermione confessed. "They're both too reckless for something like this. Not to mention they would've drove me mad."

"Are you going to tell them?" Hannah asked curiously while munching on an apple.

"Yes, but I think they might be a bit upset I'm doing it without them. Especially Ron," She said. 

Alfred was curled up in Ziva's lap during the conversation, so it's safe to say she was distracted. She softly pet him, much to Rolf's envy. His own cat didn't let him so much as touch him for longer than a second at a time.

 _Who's this Ron they're talking about? He sounds like a child_. Alfred asked.

"He's Hermione's boyfriend," Ziva whispered. "They've been friends since first year."

 _I thought you liked her?_ Alfred asked curiously, rubbing his head into her hand and purring.

Ziva blushed, "She's just a friend, Alfie. She doesn't even like hanging out with me."

The cat narrowed its eyes curiously and jumped off Ziva's lap to wander over to Hermione. He climbed onto Hermione's lab and brought his face closer to hers. Hermione laughed but Ziva knew he was trying to intimidate her. To inspect her and judge what he saw.

He turned his head over to look back at Ziva, _I'll keep my eye on her... something tells me she's keeping something secret._

"What's he saying?" Rolf asked, rolling his eyes at the scene.

"Just talking about wanting to pay more attention to Hermione, that's all." Ziva said with a light blush. "I don't think he trusts you."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I think he likes me. I mean—"

She was cut off as the cat jumped off her lap and back into Ziva's. Just to rub it in, Alfred rubbed his whole body against Ziva's stomach and purred happily. Hermione couldn't help but take that for what it was, forcing her to truly consider the fact that Ziva may have a gift after all.

"So chances are the storm will hit exactly a month from now on the full mood. They strike more on full moons then other nights," Neville interrupted after finishing a book he was reading. "How can we know before hand when it will happen?"

"I can do that." Ziva said.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Oh the animals hate lightning storms. They can always tell when they're coming, just like with most weather." Ziva told them.

"Perfect!" Neville exclaimed. "You can ask them to warn you before the storm arrives."

"We should have a backup plan in case.." Hermione started.

"In case?" Luna asked, leaning tiredly against Rolf's side.

"In case I'm crazy and can't actually talk to animals," Ziva explained for Hermione.

Hermione sighed at how that sounded and dropped her head, "I don't think your crazy, Ziva. Really, I don't. But communication between Wizards and animals is impossible unless it's a snake and a Parseltongue, which is incredibly rare in of itself."

Ziva said nothing, even when Alfred had plenty to say. She also said nothing when none of her friends spoke up in her defense, telling her that they too had their doubts. Instead she just nodded her head, focusing on a scratch on the wooden floors.

"I should get ready for bed," Ziva said softly as she stood.

Everyone felt bad at their clear hesitation in defending their friend. It was hard to believe Ziva could do what she said she could without having proof. The animals she spoke with never spoke back and neither did the plants. Not as far as they could hear. There was no proof that it wasn't just voices in her head.

"Why can't you just leave her be, Hermione?" Hannah asked. "Why do you insist on telling her she's imagining things?"

"I'm not trying to hurt her feelings. However, I think she needs to understand that it's simply impossible. No wizard has ever been able to talk to nature that way," Hermione explained as she gathered her supplies.

"A survivor of the killing curse never happened before Harry." Rolf bit back, angry at his own failure to comfort Ziva. "He's done that twice now. Just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean it's impossible."

"I know that!" Hermione yelled. "I know I shouldn't have said it. I just can't blindly believe her for the next month."

"You'd believe Harry," Hannah whispered as she stood and went into the dormitory.

Soon Neville and Rolf left as well. Hermione was alone with Luna, who hasn't spoken up on the subject yet. Hermione felt terrible about how she's been treating Ziva, but for some reason she's kept making the same mistakes. It wasn't like her to be so harsh to someone.

"Ziva has never hated a person before," Luna said as Hermione tried to stop her tears. "Not Professor Snape or Professor Umbridge or her own parents. All of whom were terrible to her. She is the kindest person I've ever met, you know?"

"I don't need a lecture, Luna," Hermione sighed. "I know I've been unfair."

"I know you know, but I can see confusion lingering in your eyes. Ziva may not be able to pass classes on her own or focus on anything outside houseplants, but she's good. Better than most of us," Luna continued.

Hermione had never heard Luna so cold in her speech before. Luna was also so whimsical and soft when she spoke but now she was direct. It made Hermione feel worse about her actions.

"She talks to plants and animals like they're people. I know it's different and i know she looks crazy. Maybe she is just hearing voices and is mad," Luna ranted. "That doesn't change the fact that she's also honest and true. If she says she believes something or hears something, then she does."

"I know," Hermione whispered. "I've been horrible. I don't know why or what's gotten into me... I'll apologize."

"She won't understand an apology. Show her you care because, even if she may not seem like it, Ziva's brilliant." Luna stood up and moved to leave before stopping, "She struggles but she's trying her best. Just like the rest of us."

Hermione sat alone with a sudden bitter taste in her mouth she knew wasn't from the leaf. Lunas change from her usual self spoke tones about Hermione's actions. All her life she followed what she knew to be true and stuck to that. It's why Divination was such a horrible class.

However, Hannah and Rolf were right. She'd taken leaps of faith before without hesitation for Harry and Ron. Her life has been filled with impossible things being made possible. So why couldn't she treat Ziva the same way?

Perhaps it's because she hated the way her stomach fluttered at the thought of the other girls name.


	10. Detention Lessons

The group began to realize how hard keeping a leaf in their mouth would end up being. Neville claimed he nearly choked on it in the middle of the night and Rolf complained about how weird it felt. The bigger challenge was eating food without accidentally eating the leaf as well.

"What if we only ate soup?" Hermione suggested during break that Friday morning. "It doesn't require chewing."

"It would make it easier," Luna agreed.

"Oh Blimey," Neville's face bunched up in disgust, "I can't stand the taste of the soup here. Let alone have it every day for a month."

"You boys sure do complain a lot," Hannah said with a teasing smile. "If its too much for you to handle, Neville, then you don't have to do it."

"It's not!" Neville insisted.

So for lunch and dinner they all drank their soup while delicious platters of other options sat in front of their face. Not having a proper dessert was by far the hardest part, they realized.

Detention came that Saturday night. Professor Witherspoon assigned both girls the task of cleaning her entire classroom. They dusted shelves, wiped down tables, and were now scrubbing the floor. Ziva hadn't said a single word the entire time, despite Hermione's futile attempts to make conversation.

In the hallway, just outside the classroom doors, Neville and Rolf sat listening in (much to their boredom). They used Extendable Ears with the hope they'd hear their two friends getting along alas, but all they were doing thus far was wasting their Saturday night.

"So," Hermione tried again, "What's your family like? What do your parents do for a living?"

"My parents are dead."

Neville groaned quietly and slapped a hand to his face. Hermione was just asking all the wrong questions. 

"Right, sorry about that," Hermione awkwardly said.

Again there was silence.

"Are you mad at me?" Hermione asked a few moments later. She'd grown more flustered at how blank Ziva was the last couple days.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Ziva questioned.

"Well, I've been rather rude these past couple months."

"Why would that upset me?"

It was Rolf's turn to sigh. Going back and doing his homework sounded more entertaining that this horribly awkward conversation. Ziva and Hermione were terribly different people. Ziva found no joy or interest in classes, whereas Hermione's life was centered around her education. Ziva's lack of concentration opposed Hermione's very organized rituals. Even though Ziva was incredibly punctual, it wasn't at all the same way that Hermione was. 

Maybe they just weren't destined to be friends.

"Did you know that Quokkas are creatures in Australia? They're part Muggle creature and part magical beast. They have no natural predators on their island so they're not scared of humans," Ziva rambled suddenly.

"Really?" Hermione humored her.

"Oh yes, they're quite cute. I've never been to Australia before. I've been to Asia and America and even Canada! Oh how I enjoyed Canada," Ziva continued.

The boys looked at each other and smiled. Ziva tends to ramble on about random things when she's uncomfortable. They knew it was going to help Hermione learn that apologizing wasn't something Ziva really understood. They just hoped Hermione would hold the conversation.

"I've never been outside Europe before," Hermione confessed as she continued to scrub the floor.

"Do you know what's silly?" Ziva asked. "I've never even been to Ireland."

They girls continued talking (Hermione had to get use to the topic changing every other minute) and the boys decided their work was done. As they stood up to sneak away, they were abruptly stopped by Mrs Norris.

Mr Filch was fired before the year started, seeing as Headmaster McGonagall didn't approve of his actions over the last years. However, Mrs Norris refused to go with him. It seemed even she had a change of heart. Despite that, she was still a snitch.

"Mrs Norris!" Rolf squeaked nervously. "What a coincidence... I was just looking for you. It seems I'm lost!"

The cat almost seemed to roll it's eyes as it looked at the boys. She turned, ready to run back to the new Hall monitor, before Neville stopped her.

"We were just checking up on Ziva!" He blurted. "The new professor gave her detention and we wanted to make sure she was alright. You're friends with Ziva... right?"

The cat didn't show her reaction before prancing down the steps. The boys weren't willing to risk being here if she decided to still expose them, so they quickly ran to the passage way back to their common room. However, Mrs Norris had decided to let it pass just this once and instead laid on a windowsill to sleep. 

"It's going to take hours to finish scrubbing these floors," Hermione groaned. "I don't understand why Professor Witherspoon insists we do it by hand."

Ziva stopped a moment and thought of her options. Looking around at the large classroom she suddenly remembered a trick she'd done once before. Her parents didn't much like being around her so they'd always assign her chores, very similar to this.

"I have an idea, although I'm not sure it will work." Ziva said.

"I'm open to suggestions. What do you have in mind?" Hermione threw her scrubber back in the water bucket.

Ziva smiled and closed her eyes as she set her hand flat on the floor. Hermione sat there confused but waited to see what happened. Ziva imagined all the dirt on the floor, small and scattered, and imagined it move. Wind twirled around the room, like it would in the autumn to twirl fallen leaves, and swept all the dirt into a small pile.

Hermione watched in awe as the last spec of dirt fell on top the pile. It was neatly set directly in front of Ziva's small hand. She gasped quietly when she saw the girls eyes were open and shining gold instead of brown. She wondered what spell the girl could've possibly used, only to realize they both left their wands back in their dorm.

"That was amazing!" Hermione laughed as she swept the pile into the bin. "I've never seen that done before. You're brilliant."

Ziva smiled, "Yes, okay."

Hermione stopped herself from letting her confusion at that response show, instead looking around at the shining floor. She was still lost on how exactly it happened. Was it a silent spell not needing a wand? If so, what type of spell would that even be? She'd have to do her research.

"Where'd you learn to do that? It would've helped loads over summer when I got back home. The house was a bit of a mess, kind of like I imagine the boys new apartment would be like by now." Hermione asked as they made their way out of the classroom.

"I didn't learn." Ziva said.

Hermione thought of a better way of rephrasing her question. Ziva took things very literal, she came to realized. The girl never gave more information if the question didn't ask for it.

"I just meant, how did you know how to do that?" Hermione inquired.

"I'm not sure, it just happens." Ziva shrugged, abruptly turning and walking through a picture. "I wonder how many spiders there are in Hogwarts."

Hermione laughed softly, not bothering to suggest anything as the girl was already rambling on about a spider she met in Canada (It's name was Jared). She laughed harder at the girls attempt to mimic his voice, doing a horrible attempt at a Canadian accent.

Before they entered the kitchen, Hermione stopped Ziva. For the first time since they met Hermione actually felt a connection with the girl. Felt like she was someone she could become good friends with.

"I had fun hanging out with you today." Hermione confessed as she rubbed her hands together nervously. "We should hang out more often, although I would prefer it not be through detention."

Ziva smiled, "Yes, okay."

Hermione watched as the girl entered the kitchen. She knew that was Ziva's way of telling her that she felt the same. It was hard to figure it out at first, but after the last two months she's began to allow herself to accept that Ziva is different. She doesn't take compliments or apologies well, she doesn't directly say how she feels, and she smiles even when she isn't happy. Ziva isn't what Hermione was use to...

Despite all that, Hermione felt herself feeling weird again. It was a feeling that she'd only even felt when Ron called her pretty or when Viktor asked her to the Yule Ball. She didn't like that she felt this way and was certain that it wasn't _really_ the same feeling. It's just nervousness, she'd tell herself without ever really believing it.

Ziva Pond was a puzzle with a dozen different puzzles pieces mixed in. Hermione Granger was good at solving puzzles, but not when they didn't make any sense. Ziva has never made sense a day in her life. Hermione wasn't sure she was ready to try and solve the puzzle herself.

That night Ziva dreamt of blossoming daisies, squirrels in trees, and the soft touch of a girl. She dreamt of loving the wrong lovers and reading her History of Magic book upside down to see if it would make more sense. She dreamt of what it would feel like to fly over a rainbow to feel the mist of true freedom.

Next to her Hermione slept. She dreamt of late nights in a dark forest, the feel of parchment under her fingers, and the feeling of hair against her cheek. Only that hair wasn't red but brown, it wasn't thin but thick. She dreamt of the wrong smile and the wrong laugh.

Wrong because it wasn't her mother's or her fathers. It wasn't her boyfriends or her best friends. It was the smile of Ziva Pond; The laugh of Ziva Pond; The hug of Ziva Pond. It made her heart race and her cheeks flush. She'd never felt this strongly for a stranger. For a friend who she barely knew. A girl who spoke to succulents and cats better than she did friends and classmates.

A girl who wasn't normal or perfect or perfectly normal.

Hermione woke when the sun began to swallow the darkness early in the morning. The first thing she did was look to her side at the peaceful face of a sleeping Ziva. Even asleep she still had a ghost smile on her face. 

Hermione sighed as she remembered her dreams, feeling a sense of longing mixing with guilt. She felt guilty for enjoying her dream. She quickly wrote a note to Ron, as if writing that she loved him would remind her that she did. She was supposed to... wasn't she? She went to the Owlery to send her message.

When she got back to Hufflepuffs common room Ziva was awake, as well as a few younger students. Most of Hufflepuffs house slept in on the weekends, so it wasn't too surprising. She simply tried not to blush as she sat besides the joyous brunette.

"Good Morning, Ziva."

"Indeed it is, Hermione."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated! -K


	11. Happy Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I’m uploading 2 new chapters today because I’ve officially prewritten all the way out to just past mid-book irl. Since I’ve written more than I thought by now, I’m going to hopefully upload more frequently! Hope you enjoy and feedback is always welcome/appreciated.

"I miss candy," groaned Neville as he drank his soup for the 27th consecutive day. "And pie. And cake. It's Halloween and I can't even eat the sweets my Gran sent me."

"Will you stop complaining? It's not helping us any," Hermione snapped in her grumpy hunger. "I don't even understand why we've decided to do this!"

"I miss turkey," Ziva piped in despite Hermione's glare.

"If you're such an animal lover, why do you eat meat?" Hannah asked curiously. "Mum always told me that people who love animals never eat meat, they're like vegans or vegetarians or something."

Ziva shrugged, "Well if it were up to me I would never eat. Plants and animals both have lives, not just animals. I figure that I should just not let their deaths go to waste in a bin somewhere. They should be used for something."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," Hannah said.

"I'm just glad we finally have a day off lessons, and without any homework!" Rolf said with a grin.

"Things haven't been so bad," argued Luna.

"They have so! Professor Witherspoon has a spoon up her arse and don't get me started on Slughorn." Neville exclaimed.

"That's silly," Ziva said, "Professor Witherspoon couldn't sit if she had a spoon in any such areas."

"It was a figure of speech, Ziva," Hermione explained with a smile.

"What does a spoon being in—"

"Don't worry about that," Hannah interrupted just as Professor Witherspoon walked past their table in a hurry. "Are we all prepped for the spell?"

"Of course we are," Hermione said. "I've sorted it all out. There's a rock by the lake that will have direct moon light exposure, Ziva has confirmed the storm to come as well as has an area we can collect the dew, and Neville is in charge of helping us get out without getting caught."

"I'm quite excited," said Luna.

The group decided to avoid the Halloween party for lounging around their common room without interruption. The house elves had allowed them to sneak some Butterbeer as well as some sucker candies. They sat around the fireplace telling stories and relaxing as they bonded.

Luna Lovegood sat curled up in Rolf Scamander's arms. Hannah Abbott was not so subtly holding Neville Longbottom's hand the whole time. And Hermione Granger sat next to Ziva Pond, wishing to herself she could do the same. She'd gotten closer to the girl, finding any excuse to laugh harder than necessary or brush her shoulder or touch her knee. She was disappointed when Ziva seemed clueless to all these things, and then felt guilty for wanting her to recognize them anyways. She was still dating Ron, after all.

"So you like girls?" Hannah asked Ziva curiously. "I don't think I've ever known anyone who's a homosexual. Not that it's bad!"

"You're quite silly if you think I'm the only person at Hogwarts who has liked the same gender," Ziva laughed. "There's been loads. Dean and Seamus have been cuddling in the same bed since year 2 and Blaise has been with more men than half the girls in our school combined."

"I always knew Seamus and Dean were hiding something," Neville whispered to himself, "They always said they were 'studying poetry' or something."

"Oh, they were studying 'poetry' all right," Rolf winked.

"Besides, I'm not a homosexual." said Ziva.

"You're not? Well... what are you?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Human."

"I think she meant what do you identify as, Ziv." Luna corrected.

"Human?"

"Do you like boys or girls?"

"Yes."

Everyone laughed at that. They didn't ask any more questions since they figured they knew what she meant (although Neville had to whisper explain it to Hannah). Hermione found herself envious of how sure of herself Ziva seemed to be.

"Blaise Zambini was part of that group of arsehole Slytherins, wasn't he?" Neville asked, "With Theo and Draco and all those wankers?"

"That's not a kind way of saying it, but yes." Said Hannah.

"Theo wasn't that bad!" Luna chimed in, "He never stole my socks like the others. Even complimented my earrings once."

"Theo was a royal prat. He was with the others as they humiliated me throughout the years! Did it to Ziva as well, calling her mad or zonky or whatever." Neville argues heatedly.

Rolf felt ashamed that he had called her those things once as well. Hannah felt the same but instead focused on calming Neville down. Hermione had looked to Ziva, who seemed unaffected by Neville's rant, and thought about what else she was clueless about during her adventures with Ron and Harry. Luna, all too familiar with how similar her situation was with Ziva's, just frowned to herself.

"I liked Theo," Ziva said. "He wasn't always himself, though."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, her hand falling onto Ziva's knee.

"Theo was sad. He really wasn't that mean, like not all Slytherins are. He was just so sad."

"I think he and all his friends were wankers," Neville mumbled grumpily.

"How do you know he was sad?" Luna wondered.

"I found him crying in a closet one day. He was embarrassed I saw it and lashed out. The next day I gave him a Dandelion, so that way he'd start to feel 'Dandy' again. He never teased me again."

The group smiled at how 'Ziva' that explanation was. Neville and Luna had first hand experience at being comforted by their curious friend. She wasn't a good shoulder to cry on or a comforting hug in dark times, but she tried her best. She'd always give them some type of good luck plant, such as a Sunflower to make things brighter.

"Makes me wonder how many people were lost and we never realized it," said Luna.

"I reckon loads. All my girl friends had troubles with depression over the past few years. Anxiety too... I'd always sneak to the Hospital wing and get their medicine so they wouldn't feel embarrassed," Hannah told them with a sad smile.

"It's worse now," Ziva states.

"How do you reckon?"

"The war, of course. I've heard you all having nightmares or crying when you didn't think anyone was awake."

That quieted everyone yet again. They all silently struggled with the aftermath of the battle, especially as they slept where the battlefield laid. Even Rolf had nightmares filled with guilt for not being here to protect his friends and home during the war. However, they never thought anyone had noticed... let alone Ziva.

"Is that why I've woken up to Touch-me-nots by my pillow?" Rolf asked.

"That way the nightmares won't touch you anymore!" Grinned Ziva proudly. "It works too! I wait and the nightmares go away afterwards."

"What were you doing in our dormitory?" Asked Neville.

"Making sure you were okay, of course."

"You checked in on us?"

"That's what I just said, yes."

Again the group was shocked into a silence. They knew Ziva cared about them but they never thought she cared enough to look after them. Luna or Hannah, perhaps, but Ziva didn't even ask about her friends day let alone how they were feeling. 

"So you've seen me naked?!" Rolf exclaimed in a sudden horror filled realization. "If you've seen me sleeping then you know I'm not a fan of wearing anything to bed."

Ziva just giggled and soon the other girls joined in (much to Rolf's hatred). Conversations continued and so did the laughter until Ziva's bed time came around and they all slowly broke up and called it a night. The whole time leading to this Hermione's hand stayed rested on Ziva's knee. The whole time Ziva didn't say a thing about it.

The next morning at breakfast (which they had had smoothies for everyday) Headmaster McGonagall made an announcement. So important that those students who had slept in were forced to be awake to attend.

"I've called you all here for a very special and important announcement." McGonagall began as she took the rooms attention. "For all your hard work over the last months, I've decided to host a ball in two weeks."

The entire room erupted in cheers (and some groans) at the news. The rest of her announcement was quickly drowned out by the chatter of the students, talking about dates and outfits. However, McGonagall managed to silence the room once more to finish her announcement.

"The dance will be a Masquerade theme, but a formal affair. That means no wizarding robes, you must wear proper attire. Have a nice day and work hard," She said.

"This is going to be wicked!" Hannah exclaimed gleefully. "I already have an idea for my outfit."

"It sounds quite interesting," agreed Luna. "I've grown to like dancing."

However, the excitement didn't go much further than that. The boys swallowed their groans at the realization that they'd have to dress up _and_ they had to properly ask the girls to be their date. Which means they no longer could put off making things official.

Hermione wished desperately that Ron would've been here so she could finally be his date to a dance. This time she couldn't take the wonderful Viktor Krum (Ron would never forgive her) and she couldn't go with any other lad. She'd have to go alone.

Ziva didn't much like dances. She didn't like how many people there were in such crowded sections, or how loud the music was, or how the air got too stuffy. Then, past those simple thoughts, she started thinking about the weather and didn't care much for the news.

"I'll finally get to put you in a dress and makeup, Ziva!" Hannah giggles as the girls walked to the library for studying. "I've never seen you dressed up before."

"Ziva didn't go to the Yule ball. She'd snuck off earlier that night to see a Unicorn give birth, since she'd been invited the day before," Luna told the others.

"Sounds like you had more fun than I did," Hermione mumbled.

"That's the same night I snogged Eliza," Ziva added in.

Hermione fumed silently at the thought but said nothing as she sat and stuck her nose in her book. She wasn't actually reading, since she already read it all, but instead trying to hide her anger at the comment before.

"All the more reason to dress you up, Ziva. I'm sure all the lads, and ladies, will be begging for you to be their date." Hannah said as she began flipping through a clothing catalog rather than her textbook. "Then again, I'm not sure why they aren't already. You're bloody gorgeous."

_Of course she's gorgeous_ , thought Hermione. Hermione had grown to hate that about Ziva, just how attractive she found her. How attracted she was to the girl in front of her. She didn't want people to see her the same way because she didn't want people to feel that same attraction. _Selfish_ , she thought again.

The truth was that Ziva was incredibly attractive in an unconventional way. She had her fathers thick wavy hair and golden brown eyes. She had her mothers angled jaw and big lips. However, her eyes were too large and her nose was crooked on her face. Her eyebrows were a wee bit too full and her eyelashes were on the verge of too long. She looked weird, to be frank, but when you really took the time to notice she also looked beautiful.

Hermione hated that past that her heart was twice as strangely gorgeous. Hated that it didn't take long for her to realize it so of course it wouldn't take long for someone else. She didn't want anyone else to notice.

"I don't like dresses," Ziva told them with a small frown. "I'm going to wear a suit."

_Bloody hell_ , Hermione thought as her eyes widened behind the pages of her book, _Merlin have mercy on me_. She could feel her cheeks start to burn at the mere idea of Ziva in a suit, showing off her curved frame.

Ziva's body was just as oddly attractive as her face. She had creamy white skin and stood quite a bit taller than Hermione. Closer to Harry's height than Ron's. Yet she walked with poor posture and one shoulder seemed off centered from the other. One hand was slightly smaller than the other, same as her feet were. However, she had curves that often filled Hermiones dreams. _No more thinking about it, you idiot_ , She thought to herself.

"A suit?" Hannah asked and considered it as she flipped through the catalog, "I can handle a suit. More than likely a muggle one seeing as the wizarding suits are horrid."

"I want a suit too!" Said Luna with a bright smile, "Preferably a yellow one."

"My mum knows a lad in town who makes his own custom formal wear. I'll have her see if he'd be willing to design something for all of us." Hannah said as she pulled out a parchment to ask just that.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Luna asked upon seeing how red the girl was behind her book.

"Perfect," mumbled Hermione in agony.


	12. The Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit harder to write the I thought, not my best chapter. Don’t worry though, more details will come in the future.

The final day had arrived before they would try and complete the spell to transform into their Animagus animal. The group sat together at the edge of the woods (not the forbidden type) and within reach of the lake. Headmaster McGonagall had excused them from class that day as well as stopped any outside access due to the oncoming storm. They'd been sitting there patiently until night fell.

"How long do you reckon we'll have to wait for the lightning to strike?" Rolf asked as he hung from a tree branch.

"Patience, Rolf. We'll know when it's time," Luna responded quietly.

Hermione sat next to Ziva and ranted about what was going on with Ron. How he wasn't responding as much and when he did he never talked about her so much as he did work. Ziva wasn't very good at advice but she could listen. She was a particularly good listener when Hermione was the one talking.

"I just wish he showed he cared more! All he ever writes about is this girl at work who's really powerful or whatever. He didn't even care about my getting detention earlier this month!"

Ziva looked up and considered what Jedidiah would've said. Then she remembered it wasn't very nice to say such harsh words, so she decided against that.

"Why don't you just leave him?" Ziva asked as she dug her fingers into the dirt. Ziva absorbed the feeling of the cold slightly damp dirt and smiled.

"Well... I love Ron. I have for years."

"Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to be with them. Especially if they don't make you happy."

"He does make me happy."

"If he made you happy you'd be smiling when you talk about him. I've never seen you truly smile when you speak about being with him."

Hermione sighed and said no more since she knew it was the truth. Instead, she started to complain about the poor performance grade she got in Potions the day before and how it wasn't fair. Ziva just sat, her hands sunk in the dirt, and listened. Sitting down in the grass seemed to energize her far more than any bed she'd ever laid on. She wished it could always be this way.

"Do you think it'll hurt?" Hannah whispered to Neville nervously. "I know we've been working on this for a while now but I'm honestly a bit scared."

"I'm not sure, but I don't think it will," Neville comforted her with an arm around her shoulder. "If anything goes wrong we'll contact Headmaster McGonagall within seconds. I'll make sure you'll be okay."

"So we've done everything the potion had required by yesterday. The moonlight, hair, leaf, dew, and Hawk moth were mixed under yesterday's full moon. Today, a miracle 2nd night full moon, also happened to be a lightning storm night." Hermione began to list off, as if checking off things on a list.

"That will make it less likely for us to get stuck," Luna assured the others, "like extra luck."

Just as she finished speaking a rumble of thunder echoed across the dark. It was time and they knew it was. They all stepped out from their cover in the woods to stand in a line on the lake side. Each had a vile in their hand and each had enough space to properly transform.

"The storm will last only around 10 minutes. Rolf will go first and I will be the last. One at a time, just in case something goes wrong. Don't forget the incantation." Hermione yelled.

The first strike of lightning light up the dark for a second. Rolf quickly consumed his potion, yelled "Amato Animo Animato Animagus!". The others watched as he cried out and fell to his knees. This limbs shortened with the rest of his body, his clothing was replaced by dark brown furr, and his face morphed into that of a Quokka.

The next strike brought Luna to do the same, soon slowly morphing into a white hare. Then went Hannah as a very small but blonde squirrel, Neville went and scared the life out of the others when he let out a roar in his bear form.

Then it was Ziva's turn. She felt fine at first before a sudden pain burned inside her. The pain of her bones shrinking and rearranging, of her skin suddenly sprouting furr, and of her skull rearranging into that of a Red Pandas. Then, almost as quickly as that pain occurred it went away and she opened her eyes to a whole new world.

The grass was larger than she remembered it. The world smelt a lot earthier and the sky seemed a lot further away. She felt warmer and looked down to see her hands were replaced by paws. Despite all these changes she didn't feel different (except for the sudden urge to climb a tree).

She looked around and saw her friends getting a feel for these new changes. Neville seemed unused to being so large as he tumbled around and tried his best not to accidentally crush his friends. Luna seemed to take well to it as she hopped around Rolf in circles. Hannah was attempting to climb onto Neville's back, letting out a sort of chirp every time she fell off.

Ziva felt something tug on her tail, causing her to instantly turn around and stand with her paws up to her head (trying to be intimidating). Only she was met with Hermiones otter. They seemed to look at each other closely for a moment before a rumble of thunder lead to the group deciding that it was time to change back.

Ziva closed her eyes and imagined herself as human. The shape of her hands and the curve of her smile. When she opened them again she was standing on two feet again. She felt ecstatic about the new possibilities they've all just opened. She still felt the hum of her skin and she pounding of her heart from what just happened.

Then she realized it was raining and they were freezing. Laughing the group ran to the front entrance of the school, completely careless to getting caught, and back to their common room. They all sat on the lounge chairs with wicked smiles on their face.

"That was,"

"Amazing?"

"Brilliant."

"All of the above."

They all laughed until someone else came sliding down the common room door. Turning they saw Headmaster McGonagall looking at them with a stern face (though Ziva saw the twinkle in her eye).

"Well? Is everyone alright?" The older woman asked.

"We're excellent, Headmaster. Everything went according to plan," Hermione answered with a bright smile.

The old woman nodded, a ghost smile on her lips, and turned to climb up the slide to leave. The idea in itself caused the group to try and hold back their giggles. Once their teacher was properly out of sights they all began to laugh again.

"Neville, mate, you need to learn how to handle your animgi," Rolf laughed, "you nearly sat on all of us."

Neville blushed, "I know. It's a lot harder than you think."

"I thought he was quite cute," said Hannah.

"Gross," Rolf gagged.

It was then that all the exhaustion settled on the group of friends. It seemed that physically changing into a whole other creature drained a lot more than you'd expect. So they all bid their good nights and headed to bed.

"You're a cute otter," Ziva whispered to Hermione with a childish grin. "Good sleep."

Transfiguration class was different that Friday because they had a guest speaker. Andromeda Tonks was standing at the front of the room with baby Teddy Lupin in her arms. Ziva noticed the babies hair was bright blue, which she found quite odd.

"I've been invited here by the Headmaster to teach a lesson about Metamorphmagus people. My grandson, like his mother, were born as metamorphmagus's. This means they can change their appearances however they please. Mostly based off their emotions." Andromeda began to explain.

Ziva's hand shot in the air in urgency.

"Yes, Ms Pond?" Andromeda called on her (though Ziva wasn't sure how she knew her name).

"Did you burp the baby?" She asked.

Andromeda couldn't hide her confusion, "Yes I did. I'm not sure what that has to do with the lesson."

"It doesn't," Ziva admitted, "Just make sure the baby is properly burped. Babies must always be burped."

Andromeda forced a smile, "I'll keep that in mind, Ms Pond. Thank you."

The lesson continued, but Ziva didn't pay attention to anything other than the babbling baby.

"Could we hold him? He's so cute!" Hermione cooed just before class was going to end.

Andromeda considered the class for a moment with hesitation before nodding and carefully handing the baby to Hermione.

"If you say a name of an animal, like a pig, he sometimes changes his appearance to match it," The woman explained.

Hermione passed the boy to Hannah, who cooed "Are you a little piggy?" She began to laugh as the baby's nose shifted into a piglet nose.

"Do you want to hold him, Ziva?" Neville asked as he now held the baby.

"No, I don't."

With that Andromeda took the baby back and class was dismissed. They'd all been chatting about the baby and about their transformation the night before. Their lunch plates were piled high with the foods they'd been deprived of for the last month. However, they never got the chance to finish it due to a letter being delivered asking for them to the Headmasters Office.

They stood in the office under McGonagalls pointed stare, unsure of what they're expected to do. Of why they were there. Ziva wasn't looking at her Headmaster like the others were, instead she was looking around at all her Dodads. From old withered books to remembralls to cauldrons. Even the sorting hat and some rainbow colored scarf she'd never seen before, especially not on McGonagall.

"I've asked you here to instruct you all not to transform into your Animagi unless absolutely necessary," The Headmaster began, "Meaning a life or death situation."

"Why not?" Hannah asked kindly.

"It's illegal for students to have done such a spell without the ministry's knowledge. I can't register you all because it would be known that you've performed an illegal spell with my knowledge." McGonagall explained.

"Right," Hermione groaned, "We didn't even think about that."

"Not to mention that if students found out I let this happen, then they would all try to transform themselves. It'd be seen as favoritism and many students could get hurt in the process," The Headmaster continued.

"So we can't transform again for at least a year? And we can't tell anybody?" Neville asked with a frown.

"Correct, Mr. Longbottom. Does everyone understand this?"

"Yes, Professor," They all said together.

"And you Ms Pond?"

Ziva looked up, forgetting they were there, "I'm sorry, Professor?"

"Do you agree to not transform into your Animagi unless necessary and that you'll keep this information secret for at least a year?"

"Okay."

With that they were dismissed and their moods dramatically lower. They were silent at first before their frustrations were released in bickering and ranting with one another. Everyone but Ziva seemed disappointed with the news.

"It's just unfair! All that hard work and we can't even make use of it." Moaned Hannah.

"Well," Ziva spoke up finally, "That's not true. We just have to wait a year is all."

"Well If we knew that then we could've waited a year to put ourselves through all that nonsense," argued Rolf.

"Yes... and?"

"Never-mind, Ziva. We're just disappointed is all."

"Disappointment is something we should all be use to by now."

"How are you not upset about it?"

"Being upset won't change it, Rolf. So why waste your energy? We still have dessert to look forward to."


	13. Masks and Mistakes

The dance had arrived so the girls found themselves in their dormitory getting prepared. Hannah's hair was riddled with waves while Luna kept hers straight as a needle. Hermione had embraced her natural curls widely, after lots of deliberation. Meanwhile, Ziva had done nothing to hers at all (until Hannah begged her to let her at least braid it).

They all had some range of makeup on (much to Ziva's disliking). Then, the only thing Ziva approved of, was their outfits. Luna was perfectly fitted into a soft yellow and white suit with a mask of sunflowers that covered nearly her whole face. Hannah was in a frilly and flowing dark blue dress with a sparkling blue eye mask. Hermione was in a simple but elegant lilac gown with a mask made of parchment.

Ziva looked the oddest out of them all, unsurprisingly. Her suit was a metallic shining color with a black lining, making her look like a walking disco. Her mask was made to look like different types of succulents but were glowing neon colors. She'd grab the attention of everyone in the room, not that she'd notice.

"I'm excited for this dance. Neville asked me in such a sweet way. He's the best man I could've hoped to date," Hannah fawned as she smoothed her dress.

"Rolf asked me with a pun. It wasn't very good but it was so sweet," Luna said as she flipped though a book, waiting for everyone to be done (Hannah). "He said 'I could Niffler have asked for a date more Pixiar than you'."

"I love that he calls you pretty at least once a day," said Hannah.

Hermione was silent and had a deep frown on her face that caught the girls attention, "What is it Hermione?"

The girl started to cry, "Ron never tells me I'm pretty."

The girls comfort and soothe her with encouraging words until she calmed down. Then they worked on fixing her makeup, though her eyes remained puffy and her cheeks flushed. She was embarrassed with her sudden breakdown, especially on a night meant for happiness, but was thankful for having such supportive friends. Ziva watched the whole time before building up the courage to say what she believed.

"I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," She told Hermione.

Hermione blushed bright pink at the compliment, but before she could respond there was a knock on their door. They opened it to find the boys all dressed up and proper, their simple black masks over their eyes. They looked rather handsome, Ziva realized.

Neville and Rolf complimented the girls (mainly their dates) and took their arms to lead them to the party. Neville was so red a tomato would be considered dull and Rolf smiled so largely that his cheeks began to hurt. Ziva watched their arm gesture curiously before turning to Hermione as they exited the kitchen, holding her arm out awkwardly. Hermione looked at her a moment before smiling and looping her hand through. Ziva felt rather proud of herself, but Hermione was riddled with mixed feelings.

When they entered the Great Hall, Hermione was quick to let go and distance herself. Ziva was too distracted by the music and decorations to give it any thought. The whole room had black and white decorations, the night sky was still looming near the ceiling, and the band Wicked Wiżards was jamming out on the front stage. The tables had sparkly white table cloths with masquerade themed centerpieces.

"We need a drink," Hermione declared as she quickly ran towards the bar. The others followed suit and used one of their 3 drink tickets.

They managed to grab one of the remaining tables. However, it didn't take long for the group to join their classmates on the dance floor. Luna and Rolf were the first to go with wild grins on their faces. They were moving randomly and got many annoyed looks, but their eyes remained on one another so they didn't notice. A dance similar to the ones shown in the 20s Wizarding films, their hips twisting and arms flailing.

Hannah was quick to drag a rather nervous Neville onto the dance floor. She controlled their movements, teaching him almost, more than the other couple did. However, Neville had remembered his lesson before the Yule ball and was quick to change their positions, shocking his date as he took command and wowed her with his finesse. Their smiles were radiant and Ziva couldn't remember when she had seen her friends so happy recently. It was refreshing.

"Would you like to dance, Hermione?" Ziva asked after finishing her drink.

"With you?" Hermione asked, a look of dread on her face. "I think I'm gonna wait a while, thank you though."

Ziva smiled and enthusiastically nodded (which Hermione thought looked silly) before practically skipping to the dance floor. She didn't notice the dirty looks she was receiving or the dirty whispers of her peers. She danced manically, flinging her arms around and moving randomly, and was so joyfully happy.

To the outsider she looked as if she was spasming. It was like nothing ever seen before, and so chaotic that it looked wrong. Like a mistake scorning the dance gods, if there were any. The students around her were quick to move somewhere else and laugh. Even Hermione found herself a bit amused at how ridiculous the girl looked. However, Ziva was blissfully unaware as she danced.

The songs soon turned slow and couples began pairing up. Hermione grew more bitter (now on her last drink) and jealous of this. She was angry that she was alone and Ron wasn't here. That she didn't have anyone to dance with, and that if she were to dance with Ziva she'd look like a fool as well. She knew that was horrible to think, but she was just tired of being the outsider.

Ziva had wandered back over to the table with her second drink and a smile. Her hair was already falling out of its braid and her mask was crooked on the girls already naturally crooked face. Hermione grew more irritated at this.

"This is fun, yes?" Ziva said as she drank (rather sloppily, Hermione noticed).

"Not really," deadpanned Hermione.

Hermione, in her bitter state, was beginning to realize more things about Ziva that irritated her. The fact that when she ate lots of the crumbs would fall out, that her head was always at a slight tilt, and that her smile was weird. She realized now that it was off putting because of the fact her mouth was too wide when she smiled, as if pulled apart by opposing invisible strings. Things she never noticed or cared about before were now the most frustrating things to her.

Hermione kept quiet and sat in a fit as she watched her friends dance. Annoyed as Ziva stood and went back out to make herself look more foolish and embarrassing. She wished desperately to escape from the second hand embarrassment. She didn't feel her self as she thought these bitter thoughts, but ever since the Battle she hasn't been herself. She wishes a bit of her misery was so obviously reflected in her friends, just so she knew she wasn't the only one. Instead, they were acting as though they weren't dancing on a graveyard.

Her frustrations with her boyfriend as well as these feelings for someone as sloppy as Ziva was what fueled her growing anger now more than ever. She knew she was being terribly rude, but she hated how her heart raced when she saw Ziva get changed (and how she looked in her suit after). She hated how hot she flushed at the compliment she'd gotten from the girl earlier that night. The person she was before the war would've never been as pathetic to feel this way, and it was all Ziva's fault.

A slow love song started to play. Hannah found herself in Neville's arms (still rather impressed with his skills), Rolf found himself in Luna's arms, and they all felt love. A love unspoken this soon but deep and real nonetheless. They wouldn't trade this for anything in the world, the first true feeling of happiness they've felt in months.

Ziva was stopped on her journey back to the table by a large warm hand. She turned and found it was Viktor Krum, with his hair blown back and his suit wonderfully well fit. Ziva found herself thinking about how handsome he was again.

"Vould you like dance?" He asked.

"Oh," Ziva said with shock, "yes, alright."

She rest her hands on his broad shoulder as he laid his large ones on her hips. She noted how he was careful not to lay them too low and was keeping it respectful. It was rather pleasing, just like she was pleased that she wasn't anxious in his arms (she was actually comfortable). He was warm, but not an overbearing hot that she'd often felt when dancing with others.

Viktor had realized throughout the night that a simple dance would not suit a girl like Ziva Pond. So instead, together, they exaggerated their movements and were being rather obnoxious by doing so. Their dance was similar to a comedic version of a salsa, only with more twirls and twists. Together they laughed as they moved, going from a classic hands on shoulders/hips to entwined hands/hand on hip to what could only be described as a failed chicken dance. The whole time they were glowing with happiness (some other couples had even joined in).

Hermione had a storm of jealousy brewing in her as she watched. That could've been her, she realized. If she decided to write back or to chose Viktor over Ron. But that wasn't necessarily what bothered her. It was the fact that it was Ziva he asked. That it was him who made her laugh and who could touch her and who asked her. She knew she shouldn't wish that it was her over him.

She turned this thought into a worse one. One that said _Who would want to dance with someone as crazy as Ziva? Who would want to chose a girl who's suit shines and mask is neon cacti? Why would anyone want to?_ Thoughts she never felt so ashamed to have, since they were so bitterly Slytherin. So horribly mean, even when she didn't say them aloud.

Hagrid had grabbed her attention then, "Hermione! Are you alright?"

"Hello, Hagrid," She sighed,unable to look away from the dancing couple. "I'm—Is that even allowed?"

Hagrid looked to where she was gesturing and smiled, "Would you look at that? Little Ziver got herself a date."

"He's not her date," Hermione snapped before wincing at her harsh tone. "I just meant isn't it a bit creepy? He's a teacher."

"Didn't you hear? Madame Hooch is back now. I don't think it's that bad," He said before looking at her worriedly, "Are you sure you're alright, Hermione? You look a bit sick."

Hermione forced a smile on to her face, "I'm okay, thank you Hagrid. Just a little hungry."

The man smiled and suggested she try the pumpkin cake before he had to leave. She was sat alone again and let her smile drop. It wasn't long before the song stopped and changed again.

"This was very fun," Ziva told Viktor as they came to a dizzying stop. "Thank you."

Viktor smiled, "Vas an honor. You look breathtaking. I like your mask very much."

Ziva laughed and took it off so he could try it on. His head was a bit to big, but he held it up to his face and laughed. She thought he looked rather silly but cute at the same time. Soon they had to bid their goodbyes, but not before he grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Ziva made her way over to where the rest of her friends were now sitting, with blush on her cheeks and a smile so large it hurt. She saw that Hermione was still upset and hadn't been asked to dance, so she decided to try her luck again.

"Now would you like to dance, Hermione?" She asked.

"Would I like to dance?" Hermione scoffed while rolling her eyes, "You're such an idiot, Ziva."

Ziva takes a step back as if physically hit by the insult, tears rim her eyes, "No I'm not. I'm not an idiot."

Hermione, blinded by her own rage and the heat of her skin, says "You're the dumbest person I've ever met. Everyone knows it's true they're just too nice to tell you."

Hermione storms off and leaves a shocked group behind. Ziva stood stunned as her heart felt as though it was stomped on. She tried her hardest to hold back her tears but failed the second Luna wrapped her arms around her hips. She turned and cried into Luna's shoulder as she was overwhelmed by what her _friend_ just yelled at her.

If there was one thing that could hurt Ziva most was someone she cared about calling her stupid. Calling her out on her lack of intelligence knowing that she tries everyday to be smart. To be normal. The worst part was that she didn't know what she did wrong.

"Don't worry about her, Ziv. We all love you and know you're brilliant in your own perfect way," Neville told her as they walked together to sit outside.

"I don't think she meant it," Rolf added, though something on his face spoke anger that suggested otherwise.

Ziva nodded and wiped her tears, but that didn't make her feel less hurt. She knew, deep inside, that Hermione Granger did mean it. That she believed every word she said, even if she normally wouldn't have said it out loud. She hoped the girl had learned to see more than just what was in the surface, but it was a hope that was quickly burnt out.

It made her feel more idiotic, especially since she was starting to view Granger as more than a friend. More than a Draco or Pansy.

"Silly me," Ziva whispered as she rest her head on Luna's shoulder. "Such a silly thought."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update, life has been incredibly crazy. 
> 
> Keep in mind, I’m not writing Hermione this way to make her seem horrible or to hate on her. I wanted to write her a someone who’s struggling so much with her internal feelings the only way she can cope in the moment is to lash out. This happens a lot with internalized homophobia. Don’t worry, she’ll get much much better in the future! 
> 
> Angst is something I Love. As always feedback is welcome and appreciated! -K


	14. Like Ice

Ziva hadn't slept that night, not even after her body practically begged her to from the emotional and physical exhaustion the dance had brought. Her mind was running an impossible race between thoughts that took place on rocky roads. She hasn't cried or yelled or even whispered since her last words hours before, but her mind was hosting a rave. Her thoughts were so loud she couldn't think.

Not sleeping means not having gone to bed on time. It means not having woke up at the exact time she normally would. Not sleeping means that Ziva was panicking, silently but surely, as she slowly got dressed that morning. At breakfast she refused to eat, and was so lost in her thoughts that she completely missed that the air was tense and that Hermione was nowhere in sight. Distracted to a point that they were late to class for the first time in Ziva's life.

"Glad you all decided to join us," Professor Witherspoon sneered as they hastily sat down. "Seems Ms Granger is the only one who remembers the importance of showing up to class on time."

"Sorry, Professor," said Neville.

"Save your apologies for someone who cares, Mr Longbottom. Let's not waste anymore time, semester finals are getting closer by the second and we have much to do."

Their lesson on transforming an object into something else with such realistic appearances that one couldn't tell it was transfigured began, but Ziva's mine was buzzing. Her eyes flicked around the room rapidly in search of something she's not sure of. Her hands are shaking madly and her left foot rapidly bounced up down. Her friends glanced at her nervously, worried about her obvious nervousness as well as her silence, but said nothing as it was obvious that their teacher was in no mood for friendly conversations. Hermiones eyes stay glued to her parchment as she took notes, though she was hyper aware of the girl behind her.

"Where's Georgie?" Ziva found herself whispering to nobody in particular.

"I beg your pardon, Pond?"

Ziva didn't bother responding as she just kept looking around the room for her friend. That was what she was looking for she realized now, and she was scared about his disappearance. She abruptly stood as she frantically searched, looking under desks and chairs. She flipped tables and tossed papers off counters. All other thoughts in her mind were erased by her current fear for the missing hamster.

"Ms Pond!" Professor Witherspoon exclaimed, shocked and growingly furious. "That is enough, sit down now or I will be forced to call the Headmaster. 10 points from Hufflepuff."

"Shut up!" Ziva screamed.

Her classmates gasped, growing more scared and nervous. Ziva had never raised her voice at anybody, let alone a Professor, so they were all stunned. Her deteriorating state, shortness of breath and frantic tears running down her face, let her best friend see the oncoming storm of Ziva's so rare meltdowns. The last time Ziva had a panic attack as severe as this was in their 4th year and even then it wasn't as incredibly unstable as it was now. Luna sneaked through the maze of tables and slipped out the door, running as fast as she could towards the Headmasters office.

Meanwhile, back in the room Ziva was tipping over a bookcase despite her peers futile attempts to calm her down. She was screaming out calls for Georgie repeatedly, hysterically searching for her lost friend with growing fear flooding her veins and soul. She _knew_ , deep down inside, that her friend was killed.

"That is enough, Pond." Professor Witherspoon declared as she stopped the bookcase from collapsing and moved to the girl.

Witherspoon gripped the girls wrist tightly, a hold that would bruise, and began to attempt to drag the girl out of the class. Ziva's panic had reached its peak now as she could feel the woman's deadly cold hands on her. _She didn't like to be touched. She didn't want to be touched._ Ziva tried to pull away with all her might, scratch and clawing, as she begged for her teacher to let her go. That grip made her feel trapped inside the hold of deaths hand himself, so she fought as if her life depended on it.

Perhaps it did.

"You can't hold her like that, Professor. Please! She doesn't like being touched, you're only going to make things worse!" Neville cried out, moving forward to help his friend.

With a flick of her wand Witherspoon sent Neville back to where he originally was. The use of magic on one of their own, one who wasn't panicking but rather trying to help, sent the others into actions. They all yelled out their protests and tried to step forward, only to all be trapped in place by their own Professor. Ziva was truly helpless now.

"Please," She begged, stilling clawing at the older woman's hand to free herself. Her wrist was aching seriously now, bones feeling as glass under growing pressure. "I'm sorry, please let me go."

When her teacher turned to her, she could've sworn the sneer on her face was turned up like a smile and the sparkle in her eyes was that of joy. That further flushed desperate adrenaline through her being and she flailed, finally managing to break free at the expense of a dislocated wrist. 

Over head the deep rumble of thunder shook the room, blacking out the lights, but Ziva paid the storm no mind. Instead she tucked her throbbing wrist to her chest and used her wand in her free hand as a light. The others, suddenly aware of the fact she had the wand the whole time, wondered why she didn't defend herself. They wondered even more why she was still rapidly breathing as she searched.

"Ziva," Hermione called desperately, heart aching at everything happening and trying to run to her friend but stopped but an invisible blockade in front of them made by Witherspoon. "You have to stop now."

"I-I can't. Georgi—Georgie is in trouble, 'Mione. Somethin' bad happened to Georgie." Ziva responded as she sobbed harder despite her inability to breathe.

"I'm sure he's okay, Ziv. Just breathe okay? Everything's gonna be okay, right Professor?"

Professor Witherspoon was walking closer to the panicking girl on the floor now, her wand pointed hostilely in front of her, and ignored the question. Her black curled bounced madly until she came to a complete stop, glaring down at the girl, and her eyes were black as beetles.

"I can't breathe, Professor. I need help, I can't breathe!" Ziva cried out, a lost child looking for their mother. Her voice was small, shaking, but it was her sheer pain filled eyes that spoke the truth behind her words.

"Stupefy," Professor murmured, twirling her wand and sending a red beam straight into Ziva's chest.

The girl fell frozen to the ground, where the teacher knelt with a wicked grin on her face that the others couldn't see. It wasn't meant for them, Ziva knew, but for her. The woman leaned in closely until her breath gazed Ziva's ear, whispering words that closed the girls throat and cut off any hope of breathing.

She whispered, "Georgie's gone, Little Pond. I'm afraid I was growing bored of him."

Ziva's eyes went wide in horror, but she was a statue suffering the internal pain. Incapable of lashing out or fighting back, She was trapped inside her own being. Tears dripped down her growingly blue face, a face losing oxygen and life, and softly dripped onto the floor. If not the floor, a few stray hot tears brushed past her open lips and their sea salted taste was a bitter reminder of her loss.

The others were frantically trying to break past their barrier, hearts dropping at the sight of their pale blue friend, and screaming for Witherspoon to help. _To just please help her._ Their pleas fell on deaf ears as their Professor just stared blankly at the small girl, as if waiting for the end.

Hermiones screams were loudest of them all because she was the most desperate. So many times before she's been confronted by danger and so many times before she's managed to overcome those monsters and protect those she loved. Now she was weak and useless, watching behind glass as she was left aware there was nothing to be done. There was always _something_ until now, and she hated it. Hated that this was probably all her fault. If she hadn't hated herself for falling for a girl, a girl sweeter than sugar and softer than cotton, then she would've been able to help stop this from ever happening.

Ziva sat, the sound of her friends distant over the sound of her own heartbeat, staring at the floor. Her hands were frozen, still grasping for her neck, and her eyes still leaked tears. Thunder boomed louder each time she closed her eyes, her vision growing darker and her consciousness flying further from her grasp. Just when the burning of her lungs seemed to come to its peak, the end so close, the doors to the room burst open.

Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Luna Lovegood stood at its entrance. Immediately upon seeing the sight, they all rushed to Ziva's side. Witherspoon slathered fake worry onto her face, as if the state of Ziva was horrifying to her, and subtly waved her wand to release the other students. They all rushed forward, standing in a circle around their friend.

"Headmaster, I—"

"Silence, Arabella. I will have plenty of words to say to you after I save your student from death," McGonagall snapped harshly.

Waving her wand, Ziva was instantly free of the stunning spell. She gasped for air and thrashed for freedom, her hands still clawing at her neck as if to rip it open and force air inside. Madam Pomfrey was quick to pour a calming drought into Ziva's open mouth, careful as to not choke her, and within seconds the flailing ceased. _She could breathe_.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," Ziva whispered, voice hoarse.

"Don't worry, child, you're alright," McGonagall whispered in turn, her hand gently creasing the girls face. She forced her own tears back and sighed softly in relief.

"Come now, Ms Pond, we'll take care of you in the infirmary. Perhaps some sleep and rest will fix you right up," Pomfrey soothed as she helped the girl to her feet. "I'll even let a friend or two stay with you outside of visiting hours."

Dazed, Ziva could only give a small smile as she leaned against the older woman and they stumbled their way out of the ruined room. Not far behind the others fell, desperate to make sure she's alright but cautious enough to know not to make their nurse angry. They all wiped tears from their face, but their fear for their friend remained settled in their chest. They had all come so close to losing another person they love yet again, and it terrified them.

Guilt ate away at Hermione until she found herself stopped in the middle of the hall, watching as the others went on without her. It felt so wrong to be there when it was her harsh words that hurt her friend so. Her actions that led to her meltdown. More than that, Hermione hadn't done more to protect Ziva. Hadn't been strong enough.

For that minute where she was convinced that Ziva was gone and wasn't coming back, she'd felt herself drift into a cold dark current. She was petrified of losing someone she never even had. Her heart aches now with the thought of Ziva dying...a heart that would gladly beat for Ziva. A heart that was on its way to belonging to her, no matter how hard Hermione fought against it.

Even if she didn't deserve it.

"My Office now, Arabella. I'll be there in a moment to remind you of your position and responsibility to protect your students," Headmaster McGonagall's cold tone flooded the halls.

Turning Hermione saw and Arabella exited the room with her face red with anger and her nose pointed. Still, she said nothing and turned down the opposite hall to make her way towards the Headmasters office. It was only then that Hermione noticed the lights in the halls were blown out and left it dark, especially since the storm outside stole any sunlight. It felt fitting, this darkness, after the events that just occurred.

"Ms Granger," McGonagall greeted as she joined the girls side, her face still red with fury but her tone softer than moments before. "Why aren't you with the others?"

"I'm not sure they'll want me around...that Ziva will want me there when she wakes up. I've been horrible to her lately." Hermione admitted, bowing her head in shame.

The Headmaster said nothing as they walked with one another. Hermione considered that silence as an answer within itself, shame bearing down onto her even more, but still remained quiet. She wasn't sure if there was anything to be said.

"I don't know Ms Pond very well. She always seemed to be in the background of my students, especially those like you and your friends. Trouble makers," McGonagall began, her voice sharp but not harsh. "Perhaps it was my mistake to allow my attention to stray from her over the years. Unfair to devote more time to students who were struggling far less."

"That's not your fault, Professor. Things were chaotic these last years." Hermione reassured.

"True as that may be, that is all the more reason I should've paid more attention. Especially to someone in a state of mind as...fragile and unique as Ponds. Her empathy and compassion for living things, her strict need for order, and her mind that's structured so differently than everyone else's...It was only a matter of time before an incident like this should arise after being neglected for so long." McGonagall continued. "It's my job as a Professor to take care of each of you, not just the few."

"Professor, are you ever scared of it? Of caring for someone, for everyone?" Hermione murmured as she looked up and found them outside the infirmary doors.

"Of course I am, Ms Granger. All the more reason to do it."


	15. Infirmary

Ziva had a dreamless sleep that night. It seemed unfitting to have her mind quiet after such a horror filled day. Perhaps her own brain had thought reality to be the nightmare and made her sleep more realistic. It was dark and silent in Ziva's thoughts, but she was aware. As if she stood all those hours alone and waiting for something to happen. Anything. Nothing.

It felt wrong. For a person so used to noise and activity, to be alone in the silence of darkness felt foreign. What does one do without thought? Ziva hasn't had a moment to question this since the day she was born, screaming her first breath from the pain her skull felt under the pressure of thoughts too big for her underdeveloped mind. That is what she was; underdeveloped.

"When will she wake up, Madam Pomfrey?" A voice asked. A voice angelic and soft, yet coated in worry.

The response was muffled, but seemed to answer the voices question seeing as nothing else was asked. Silence flooded Ziva again, making her yearn for that voice, for hours until another joined. This voice wasn't the same as before, it was deeper and rambling. A voice of a male, friendly but uncertain in himself, was the voice she heard next.

"I figured I should check in before class...in case there was any changes. There weren't any—wait, well that's not what I wanted to say. I mean you look good, but—" the voice stumbled.

Ziva couldn't help but smile at the voices obvious nervousness and uncertainty. He seemed as if he was afraid to say something wrong, although she wasn't sure why. What could he say that could do any harm? He's just a voice after all.

"I should be going now if I'm not to be late. I'll be sure to stop by before I turn in for the night. I'll give Hagrid your Hello's and water the plants for you," the voice said, seeming to get more distant with each word.

The silence that followed seemed to last longer this time. Ziva wandered around the darkness in a never ending trail, searching for any sign of her beloved life. Of the green of fresh grass or the brown of a squirrels tail. The orange of a fish or the blue of a bird.

"Ziva," a new voice interrupted, soft and singsong. "It's time to wake up now."

So she did.

The room was bright, so much brighter than before that it hurt, and it took a moment for her to adjust to the new setting. Blinking several times it all seemed to come back into focus, the main object of power being the pale white skin and bright smile hovering above her. The girls wavy blonde hair hung down from her face and the tip just barely brushed against Ziva's skin. Like a stolen kiss in the middle of night.

Bursts of excitement came from the others, whom Ziva only just became aware of. Soon Neville, Hannah, Rolf, and finally Hermione filled the space around her. Suddenly, no longer engulfed in the dark, Ziva wasn't alone. There were faces to voices and smiles to faces. It was overwhelming but peaceful unlike any other. It was freeing.

"You're awake!"

"Are you alright?"

"It was totally wicked! You went mad—"

"Rolf! You can't just tell people—"

A childish giggle flooded past soft lips and into air before Ziva could stop herself. It was so childlike and smooth that it stopped the rampant talk above her and turned all attention towards it. The laugh was small at first, a slip, mistake. Then it grew and grew until her eyes water and her stomach aches. It was loud and full and gleefully innocent, as if the carrier of such a laugh was a toddler free from harm and corruption.

It was contagious. Without any reason why, every one of the children began laughing as well. Rolfs loud obnoxious, Hermiones small contained, Neville's goofy, and Luna's snorting giggle. Even Hannah, who's laugh was so hard it was silent, joined in. They all laughed themselves into tears and for a moment, just a flickering second, it was as if Voldemort and death wasn't something that ever graced their lives.

Then, as all things must, it came to an end. That laughter died out softly and slowly but in the end it was a distant echo lingering in the air. They sat in its memory for a moment, craving to stay there, before they forced themselves back into reality. It was Hermione who spoke first and broke the trance.

"Do you remember what happened?" She asked.

"I was quite silly, wasn't I?" Ziva responded, her hand moving to the bandages on her neck. "Panicked a bit, I think."

"You almost died, Ziv." Neville mumbled, hands shaking as they hovered near hers.

She knew that, of course. She remembered everything from that day. Ziva wasn't ashamed but she knew better than to speak that awareness, it would hurt the others too much. To speak how scared she was, how much pain she was in...how she knew she was almost gone. Terrifying but simple.

"We were really scared, Ziva. The way you were acting...how you turned blue and we couldn't—" Hannah turned away a second to calm herself, swallowing back her tears.

"I'm alright now! See, I was laughing and everything. How long was I sleeping anyways?" Said Ziva.

"3 days," Hermione answered.

"Oh dear," Ziva whispered. "I'm going to be so behind on my classwork. I'll have to talk to the Professors to get the materials I missed. So much work to be done, oh dear."

"Don't worry about it, Ziv. We'll all help catch you up on things. I already gathered the papers for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures for you." Luna reassured her.

"Very smart, good love."

The others filled her in on what she missed ( _You got to see Larry the Platypus without me?_ ). Hermione was the only one to remain silent and in the background, too afraid to speak in case Ziva would lash out. Perhaps too afraid she wouldn't and instead would act as if Hermione didn't exist. Her eyes lingered on the balanced breathing of Ziva's small chest and the letter in her own hand, meant to be sent to Ron. A letter that would end their relationship...

"Can I ask you something?" Rolf asked Ziva, suddenly serious.

"You just did," Ziva cheeked, but nodded otherwise.

"Why were you so worried about Georgie?"

The room went silent. An unspoken question for the hour before in fear that it would be the last straw. The tipping point that leads to further destruction, and perhaps a bigger meltdown. All their eyes turned to the small girl, trained on her own, and they held their breath. _Leave it to Rolf to ask the question so soon_ , they thought.

Ziva's smile slipped off her face as she remembered the feeling, that loss rooted deep in her soul, and she closed her eyes. Sighing, she told them what she knew, "Georgie's dead."

"Was he sick?"

"She killed him. I could tell but—She told me. He's gone and I feel as though Georgie won't be the only one."

The group considered this, remembering how mournful Ziva was while searching for her lost friend. Then they considered Witherspoon, how she sat back and watched as Ziva suffocated. How she prevented them from helping their dying friend by holding them back with an invisible wall. She was cold and cruel in those moments, as if savoring it while she could. Relishing in her power.

"What should we do?" Hermione asked.

Before they could respond, Madam Pomfrey opened the doors and entered the room. It seemed as though visitor hours were over. She quickly ushered them out of the room, before seeing Ziva's pleading eyes and caved ( _Hermione, you can stay with her. You others must go back to class!_ ) Hermione nearly begged for her to choose another, but the chance was stolen from her by the doors slamming in her face.

She quietly walked back and sat besides Ziva in silence. They sat awkwardly together, though Ziva seemed to be comfortable and the only reason it was awkward was due to Hermione. Hermione sat tense as she waited for something, anything, to happen. It soon became obvious to her that it would be her part to speak first if anything were to happen.

"I—We were all really worried you weren't going to survive. We should've paid more attention before, well everything." She started, playing with the hem of her uniform.

"More attention to what?" Ziva asked, though her eyes were focused on the window on the other side of the room. "I hope she buried him."

"I hope so too, Ziva."

The girls brown eyes turned at that, focusing on Hermiones. She could remember now, this face screaming distantly for her. For her to _breathe, please breathe_. These lips sneering cold words. This voice whispering in her world of darkness, angelic and sweet. Two opposites but the same all at once.

"You called me an idiot." Ziva stated.

Hermione looked down, ashamed of the fact, and moved back. She didn't know what to expect next, but she knew what she deserved. It was only a matter of how to survive her punishment, which she wasn't sure she could. Her hand brushed the unsent letter again, as if trying to remember if it was real.

"I did," Hermione admitted, shame thick in her voice.

"Why? What did I do to you that you would be so mean?"

"You didn't do anything, Ziva. I promise, it wasn't anything you did. I was just so angry and hurt that I took it out on you for being so...happy. It wasn't fair, as your friend I never should've been that way, and I'm so sorry."

"I only wanted to dance...do you not like dancing?" Ziva asked.

"It wasn't that...I was mad because of Ron. That he wasn't there and how he's been distant lately. I was upset that I was alone and nobody wanted to dance with me, not even Krum!"

Ziva pondered this a moment. She didn't understand why this bothered Hermione, but knew better than to speak her ignorance. _Maybe_ , she thought, _I was the bad friend for not noticing she was upset!_ Suddenly, she felt guilt for her own actions that night. For not doing more to be there for her friend.

"I'm sorry," Ziva said, not really understanding the meaning but knowing it's the right thing to say.

"Why are you sorry?" Hermione asked, shocked by the direction the conversation was heading. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should've noticed you were sad. I was too caught up in my dancing and own happiness to question yours."

Hermione smiled, suddenly teary-eyed, "It's okay Ziv. I know you cared...you were the only one that night that made me feel pretty. Seen."

"I always see you, silly." Ziva pointed to her two eyes, ignoring the distant pain in her wrist.

While meant to be literal, Hermione couldn't help but fall more interested in the deeper meaning behind that statement. Even though Ziva was often lost in the whispers of the trees and her own train of thought, Hermione knew it was true. She could often feel the other girls eyes drift to hers during study sessions or other free times. Hermione remembers how deep Ziva blushes upon being caught staring, not saying anything but instead quickly looking away as if that would hide her actions.

"You looked pretty too, you know?" Hermione whispered. "The night of the ball. You looked...flamboyant."

Ziva giggled, "I know."

"I'm worried about Professor Witherspoon." Hermione confessed, hand reaching out for Ziva's wrist that was once sprained and is now simply recovering. "I'm afraid she could hurt one of us, well worse than she already has at least."

Ziva went solemn at the thought before banishing it, "Headmaster McGonagall wouldn't let another incident happen. Not now that Voldemort is dead and Professor Dumbledore gone. She'll protect us."

Hermione thought back to the fury on McGonagalls face after she came out of Witherspoons class that night. The conversation about paying more attention to the well-being of her students...

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "I think you're right. Even if she won't, I'll make sure nothing happens to anyone again. Especially not you."

Hermiones hand clings to the letter from that moment until the first chance she got to the owlrey. It was time to move forward, she decided. Time for a change, even if it broke her heart to do so.


	16. The Last Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay and long wait. Life has been crazy but I got this put together. Hope you enjoy and as always feedback is welcome and appreciated.

The rest of the month passed by in a blur of lessons and homework. It seems to the 7th years nothing was in their life outside the smell of ink, the feeling of parchment, and the headache the oncoming finals brought. Each night they had their faces in books desperately trying to read everything but never truly comprehending anything. Everything outside of classwork was put on hold, from friendships to relationships. It was a mystery that hadn't killed one another.

The leaves had long since fallen and were now a distant memory under the white that covered the lands all around. Snow and cold was upon them as they approached the middle of winter. Ziva was always had a particular distaste for the season of cold, especially since animals grew scarce and many plant had gone away until spring. Not dead but certainly not alive. Asleep, perhaps.

Then, before they knew it, finals was over and winter break rapidly approached. Only one last test before they were to leave tomorrow, all going their separate ways (except Ziva who was to stay with Luna). They all agreed some time and space apart was best for the duos until Christmas, when they would all meet up at Neville's Grans house to celebrate (which Ziva thought was silly but didn't refuse).

This final class was unfortunately their least favorite. Transfiguration, with Professor Witherspoon. After the incident Headmaster McGonagall had granted her one last chance to prove herself before the end of the semester. The witch was on her best behavior since then, not commenting or showing emotion to any of the students unless it was strictly about the class.

Hermione had said she talked to the Headmaster at the start of the week, and got confirmation that after winter break they would have a new teacher. It seems that McGonagall was not as lenient to let mistakes slip as easily as their old Headmaster was.

Ziva looked down at the bundle of blue flowers she had in her hand, which fell off their plant in the common room that morning. She'd been carrying them around all day, careful not to squash them, without really knowing why. She knew it was important she gave them to somebody who would appreciate their beauty before they died, she just hadn't decided who yet.

Until she ran into Headmaster McGonagall on her way to meet up with the others for their final lesson. Upon seeing the woman, Ziva knew who they were for. Her Headmaster was deep in conversation with Professor Flitwick, but that didn't keep the girl from walking up to her. She held the flowers out like an offering to a great king.

"These are for you, Headmaster." Ziva whispered shyly, unable to bring herself to make eye contact.

McGonagall gently took the stems of the flowers and admired their beauty. Each had bright blue petals with a pale yellow core.

"What are they?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Forget-Me-Nots."

Without another word Ziva left, feeling complete. Like she accomplished a task she never knew she set for herself. She smiled brightly upon seeing the person she'd never forget: Hermione. The bushy haired girl stood outside the kitchen doors waiting for Ziva so they could walk together to their next one.

Evening was falling as the students followed their teachers directions to meet her at the schools entrance at the start of class. The looming cold was harsh today, seeping into the students sweaters, as they walked with one another across the stairs and to their Professor. Rolf blushed as his stomach growled in hunger, desperate to finish whatever this last test was and get on back inside for dinner later.

"Evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today's test, as you could already tell, isn't like the others in the past. Today we are going to do our transfiguration on a wheelbarrow I've had Hagrid move into the forest, for privacy sakes." Witherspoon explained, voice colder than frostbite.

She started off towards the woods and the others followed, rather regretfully. Ziva focused on the crunching of snow below her feet, each step making noise and leaving deep trails. Her feet were still warm, but she knew it wouldn't be long before the cold of the snow seeped in. It was impossible to resist, She thought as she tightened her Hufflepuff scarf around her neck.

"What will we be transfiguring it into, Professor?" asked Hermione.

"Anything you wish, Granger. The test is to see how capable you are to transfigure a large object and how realistic that new object seems to be." The Professor said curtly.

As they further approached the start of the forbidden forest, something deep in Ziva's stomach twisted. She slowed to a stop, listening to her surroundings for an explanation as to why she felt this way. Something, she knew, was desperately wrong. Listening, past the wind and crunching of snow, she realized what was wrong.

She heard nothing.

No noise existed the forest. No distant chirps of squirrels, hoots of a snowy owl, or even the bristle of the evergreen leaves in the wind. She stared at the daunting forest and became frozen with fear. That feeling she'd felt, out of pure instinct, that day in Witherspoons class hit her like a stunning spell.

"Ziva, why'd you stop? We're almost there." Luna asked, holding the others back as they waited for her to catch up.

Ziva said nothing, heart rapid and breathe short, as she stared at the border of the forest. The only thing keeping herself and her friends from being silenced too. Somethings wrong. Her eyes fluttered across the white snow for an older trail of large footprints. A trail that should be present, the trace of Hagrid, since he had supposedly moved the wheelbarrow today. A day with little to no snowfall... but she found no trail.

"Something's wrong," Ziva said as she focused back on her friends. Despite her inner turmoil, her voice came out balanced. Calm.

"What do you mean? Are you alright?" Hannah asked as she stepped forward.

"Something," Ziva repeated stronger, her panic slipping through her teeth, "is wrong."

"That's enough, Pond. We will not be humoring another lash-out today. Stop distracting your friends and come along now. We don't have all day," Professor Witherspoon snipped.

The others looked at one another then back to Ziva. Ziva who hadn't flinched since the professor spoke, instead her eyes looked desperately into Hannah's. Then, worried her eyes weren't enough, she retreated one step backwards. Then another.

"We can't go in! We can't go into the forest because it's a trap. Please, Hermione, you have to believe me. Something's wrong," Ziva pleaded now, her voice breaking as she all but screamed her protest.

"Okay," Hermione reassured the girl, stepping close and looking her in the eye. "I believe you. We all believe you...Let's all go inside. We can talk to Headmaster McGonagall about finding an alternative option for the test."

The others whispered their agreements and moved to join Ziva. Ziva, who's breath was becoming balanced again, who stared into the golden hazel eyes of Hermione in order to find focus. They were all confused, but knew after the last time they were never going to hesitate to support their friend. Especially not when it came to Witherspoon.

"Brats, the lot of you are! You can't walk around and control this place as if you own it. You can't make your own rules, you imbilces! This isn't a negotiation, you have no voice here, so I will not repeat myself again. Go into the forest now!" Professor Witherspoon screamed.

They all turned to her in shock, watching as her tidied hair fell from its place and were now ramped curls. They watched as her black eyes became darker in her fury, face turned up in disgust, and her pale skin grew pink with fury. In this moment, screaming furiously, Hermione Granger became as scared as she was under the punishment of Bellatrix Lestrange. A fear she promised herself she'd never feel again.

"We're going to go find Headmaster McGonagall." Hermione stated boldly, grabbing Ziva's hand and turning to walk back towards the entrance.

They didn't make it far before the professor attacked. Rapidly yelling and moving her wand, Witherspoon expertly disarmed everyone but Ziva. They all turned, shocked and afraid, to look at the woman. The only one left with a wand secretly tucked away in her pant leg was Ziva. The only one frozen with absolute fear was also Ziva.

Hermione all but growled as she ran for her wand sitting a few meters away. Before she reached it a yell sounded from above, grabbing her attention. Professor Witherspoon had Ziva Pond dangling 10 meters in the air, screaming while at her mercy.

"Stop it! Please, don't hurt her!" Hermione begged, ignoring the snow melting through her pants as she watched in horror.

"Why are you doing this?" Neville demanded, though his voice held no authority over the blatantly obvious worry.

"All of you, silence. Go into the forest now or I will kill your little moronic friend. One wave of my wrist and not even you could catch her fast enough," Professor Witherspoon sneered.

Reluctantly, they all followed her instructions. Leaving behind their only line of defense the children walked into the forest one after the other. Each of their eyes desperately looked around for help, for anyone to see what was happening and rescue them. But even Hagrid was in the Castle preparing for dinner.

They were alone.

When Luna stepped through the threshold into the forest, they all turned expectantly for Witherspoon to free Ziva. She didn't, at least not immediately. Instead she smiled that wicked grin and walked closer to them, not paying much mind to the screaming girl over head.

Ziva was petrified. Heights and helplessness were two things she was scared of most in this cruel world. Her screams morphed with cries, rubbing her throat raw and blinding her with her tears. Her face grew hot red as she was stuck upside down, the blood rushing to her head. The ground was too far away. She didn't dare thrash in fear that it would make her slip from this invisible grip and fall.

"You're all so weak. So fragile and pathetic. I had a son your age and he put the likes of you to shame. He was strong and brilliant. So tell me something, why does rubbish like you get to live when my baby boy is gone? Why was someone so perfect taken away when the world had you instead?!" Witherspoon began yelling at them.

Mad tears ran down her face as she continued, though her voice lacked emotion now and instead was hard. Empty. "I've decided the world shouldn't be the only one to get a say in who lives and who dies anymore. Not after it's mistakes. Not after my baby—No, I will decide. Merlin, I will thrive. You will all tremble before me and beg, beg like I did for his life, and I will not cave just as the world didn't to me. I will steal your hope and then your lives. It's what you deserve since he's gone instead of you lot."

"We did nothing to you," exclaimed Hermione furiously. "We don't deserve this. Ziva doesn't deserve your hatred."

"If only I cared about deserve."

"You won't get away with this. We'll find a way to escape and you'll burn for what you've done," Hannah growled, pushing against the invisible barrier separating the forest from the rest of the world.

"No," Witherspoon laughed as she lowered Ziva and tossed her like a rag doll into the forest as well. "You won't."

Then, ignoring the protests and shouts of her students, she walked away. Back into the Castle to sit among her coworkers. She ate a full plate that night, laughing and joking. Full of life at what she's come to accomplish. By the next night, when the trains leave, she looked forward to snatching a few more pathetic children and forcing them to join the others. To endure the pain and torment alone in the woods in the middle of winter.

Underneath her dress as she ate her dinner, chatting with Hagrid and even McGonagall, sat 5 wands. The wands of Luna, Rolf, Hannah, Neville, and Hermione. Her mind didn't even bother considering the missing 6th wand because many months before she'd decided to never consider the likes of Ziva Pond. Never to fear a simple minded girl who talked to animals, even though they never spoke back.

Next to the Headmasters plate as she enjoyed the final school feast before the winter break sat a bundle of small blue flowers, long since forgotten.


End file.
